


Pandemonium

by CosmicNoiz



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Badass Eren Yeager, Badass Mikasa Ackerman, Bipolar Disorder, Canon Universe, Dominant Eren Yeager, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Emotional Sex, Eren Yeager Has Issues, Eren Yeager Is a Tease, Eren Yeager is a Little Shit, Eren Yeager is in Denial, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jealousy, Mania, Mikasa Ackerman & Eren Yeager Are Siblings, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Overprotective, Overprotective Eren Yeager, POV Original Female Character, Porn with Feelings, Possessive Behavior, Protective Mikasa Ackerman, Protectiveness, Sassy Armin Arlert, Sexual Tension, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Manga Spoilers, Smut, Titan Eren Yeager, Top Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:35:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29643798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicNoiz/pseuds/CosmicNoiz
Summary: As the fire ignited inside her and gave her the will to move, she felt the anxiety web away into a conscious state of mania. The titans were swallowing the buildings around her, and Emilia could barely hear the shouts of terror from her squad mates she had trained several years with, due to the utter numb state her mentality had taken on since listening to the words Armin had shared with her. She could feel her heart in her throat, her pulse pumping loud and chaotic as the wide-jawed titan stomped towards her with a maniacal grin. She grasped her swords firmly in her hands, waiting for the exact moment to strike with a firm, steady gaze of determination. The world was cruel, although enticing at times with the promise of freedom that Eren Yeager had instilled inside her mind. Pandemonium, it was, and the flash of sea-green eyes in her mind spurred her into movement alas. [ONGOING]
Relationships: Eren Yeager/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 25





	1. Viridescent

**Author's Note:**

> The summary is from a piece within one of the chapters to come. This preface is about introducing Emilia Martin's character [the main character of Pandemonium besides Eren of course] the actual summary for the preface will be here below! There will be weekly updates for Pandemonium [unless I'm feeling generous haha]
> 
> \-------------------------
> 
> Emilia Martin is introduced to a rambunctious brunette boy with startling sea-green eyes, his passion to explore the outside world leaving a firm mark on the fiery-red haired girl. Not only does she meet this certain boy, but his raven-haired stoic sister and blonde haired timid friend as well.
> 
> \--------------------------  
> "For once in my life, 
> 
> I will run as fast and far as I've wanted:
> 
> Live the life that I should've started"

**Viridescent**

She raked her nails through her messy red fringe with a soft huff, already knowing her mother would yell at her for looking so dirty once she went home. The Martin household was typically full of hot-headed people, and it sure as hell didn't skip her mother's genetics. With the way she would scream and shout the minute she discovered Emilia had snuck out to catch a glimpse of the scout regiment against her wishes, and the way her father tried to tame her mother's temper with a sheepish grin and soft words he hoped would soothe her spirits. Of course, they didn't. In the end, Emilia was always whipped around like a horse due to her mother's constant presence and unshakeable rage whenever Emilia mentioned wanting to join the military. She knew Emilia desired to explore beyond the walls more than anything, and with the constant smothering she did over her only child it only encouraged the tiny redhead to want to leave and join the scouts even faster.

The sky was a clear baby blue, soft white puffy clouds painted across with a few chestnut-furred birds tweeting above her as they flew onto a plain brick-tiled roof in front of her. A small, thin rare smile appeared on her freckled features as she watched the peaceful wildlife creatures, wishing she had her journal by her now to sketch the anatomy of the birds with a plain charcoal stick. She rose from her place on the dirty rock-textured ground, kicking a few small stones as she stood up on her toes and leaned back on the balls of her feet in an easygoing manner. The air tasted fresh as she inhaled it sharply, her long eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly's wings as she took in the empty streets which was surreal to the redhead, knowing that Wall Maria was known for it's bustling and overly active streets. Although as soon as she relished in the quiet for once by closing her eyes and leaning against the brick-tiled building with the songbirds above her, she heard childish screaming and curses being said from a street over from where she was.

Emilia rolled her eyes dramatically, huffing out a groan as she walked into the direction of the immaturity, leaning around the corner and eyeing up the commotion with a raised thin eyebrow. She made sure to be as silent as possible as she studied the figures, eyeing the timid bowl-cut blonde haired boy scooting against the wall as three kids corned him against it. She could hear them berating him for his knowledge of the outside world, and with those words she eyed the book the boy clutched against his chest with a firm glare. The kid had spunk, something she admired as the bullies kicked at the blonde with their feet with a whoop of overexaggerated joy.

She clearly decided she had enough of watching after they started mercilessly kicking the timid boy, not liking what she saw at all and deciding to take action with a swift sprint forward, launching onto the biggest boy's back and locking her arms around his neck before flipping him backwards onto the ground with a snarl. She could hear him hacking for air, beating at her grasp with a weak punch as she slowly strangled him with her back against the dirt ground.

"I'll let you go as long as you bastards learn your lesson," she bit out with an enraged look, barely noticing the surprised and slightly terrified look the blonde boy sported as she focused on strangling the bully in her grasp. She eyed the two boys who had previously been beating the shit out of the blonde kid, smirking maniacally at their horrified looks from where they stared slack-jawed at the situation in front of them. "My understanding is that you were beating the shit out of the blonde kid because he was smarter than you all combined, correct?" Emilia spat, barely loosening her hold around the struggling boy beneath her. "That's honestly pathetic, y'know? His brains are better than your brawn, so you get jealous and decide to get all tough and take out your anger by beating him."

The two boys eyed the crazed redhead with frowns on their faces, one opening their mouth to try and give an excuse: "He's a freak! How else were we supposed to beat that sense into him?" At the boy's words, Emilia let go of the struggling kid beneath her and stood up, sweeping dust away from her pants and glaring at the three through her messy red fringe. A surge of pride ran through her as she took in the injured look of the boy she had let go, noting him hacking for air and stepping away from her as quick as he could. She shrugged her shoulders and rolled them back before cracking her knuckles with a maniacal look on her face, "Guess that means that you've learned jack shit from my representation, right?"

"W-Wait," a tiny voice mumbled from behind the three as he struggled to stand up whilst clutching the huge brown book to his chest with a slight grimace. He rose his head to look the redhead in the eye, hazel-blue meeting baby-blue as he met her gaze. "I think they've had enough."

She snorted at that, looking to the three with a challenging look in her eyes before they nodded hurriedly at the blonde's words, taking off quickly down the opposite street with hollers of: "she's crazier than Mikasa!" and "shut up, she's gonna come after us if she hears you say that!"

Emilia snickered at the yells from the terrified children, pinching the bridge of her nose with an annoyed look before speaking to the blonde boy who stood in front of her with a puzzled expression. "Does that usually happen? They just beat the shit out of you in an alley and you take it?" 

The boy frowned at her words, shaking his head slowly. "Not all the time, usually my friends come and disrupt them before they get too far into it." He explained, swallowing shortly after with a sort of terrified look in his oceanic eyes. "Do you usually do that for people?"

"I don't usually do that, no." Emilia told him softly, crookedly grinning at him as she tilted her head to the side. "Couldn't just let you get the shit beat out of you, right? Would be lower than them if I allowed that to happen."

He started to smile at her explanation, barely noticing the quick footsteps occurring from the street behind them where a blur of raven-hair and chocolate-brown flew into view and skidded to a stop in front of the pair. Emilia took a step in front of the blonde with a curl of her lip before the blonde touched her shoulder gently and shook his head. "They're my friends, they probably heard all the commotion and came running without a thought."

She glanced between the two new kids with a tilt of her head, examining the raven-haired girl first. Her hair was silky smooth and straight, cascading down her back in waves and there was a velvet-red scarf wrapped around her neck, snug against it above the pink gown that flowed effortlessly over the girl's thin frame below it. She had these coal-black eyes, barely a light twinkling in them as she studied the redhead in front of her with her stoic look. The brunette boy beside the girl was a completely different picture compared to the ravenette, his eyes wide with stunning viridescent eyes that bordered on the line of sea-green. He had this look to him, this determined and fiery expression that smoothed over her in waves as he studied her in turn. Emilia's looks definitely put everyone off on the first meeting, with her unique scarlet hair that was messy and came to a stop below her shoulders just a wee bit. The freckles that dusted over her nose and cheeks along her tanned complexion and the rosy cheeks that sported them. Her ears were burning red as the three examined her, their first time seeing someone so foreign looking compared to the angry looking girl beside the brunette boy. Emilia was wearing a cotton shirt, a pale blue in comparison to the blonde kid's oceanic hues. Her outfit was definitely made to impress, but due to Emilia's rebellious behavior it was mucked over with mud and dirt, thanks to her quarrel with the bullies.

"Who is this, Armin?" The brunette boy inquired, looking Emilia up and down with a look of awe on his pretty face. Emilia chortled at the question, barely containing her fit of laughter that bubbled over as soon as the boy asked the blonde about her. The trio watched her double over with manic laughter, a grin appearing over the brunette's face as he relaxed since Emilia didn't seem so stuck up after all. The two that came up as a surprise had previously thought she was trouble, but due to the trusting look on Armin's face, they decided against that thought once they studied the situation carefully instead of jumping to conclusions.

'Armin', as in the kid she had just rescued from a brawl, spoke up with a much clearer tone of voice than he had earlier. "I don't know, but she took care of those bullies that came after me a few minutes prior to you all showing up." 

Emilia smiled gently at the trio, waving a sheepish hand that she had perfected after her socially-awkward father. "I'm Emilia Martin, I was just perusing through the streets since I snuck out of my house." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes so she could see the other kids better, grinning a cheshire grin at them. "I'm glad I helped Armin here, sorry you guys didn't make it in time."

"I'm just relieved Armin is fine," the chocolate haired boy exclaimed appreciatively. "You must have scared them real well, since all three of them left."

Armin snorted beside her. "You have no idea."

She snickered at the comment Armin made before asking, "Who are you two anyway? Your names, I mean."

Sea-green eyed boy was the first to speak up, unsurprisingly since the dark haired girl beside him had barely spoken at all, although she seemed more relaxed than earlier. "My name's Eren Yeager, my dad's a doctor. Grisha Yeager? You might have heard of him," he told her quickly, his speech fast and stumbling over certain words. He then pointed a finger to the girl beside him, who cast a sharp glare at him in turn. "This is my adopted sister Mikasa, she's really cool. Honestly, the bullies are more scared of her than they are me."

"I can see why." Emilia uttered, acknowledging the small smile that appeared on Mikasa's face at her statement. "I should probably head back before my mother chews my father's ear off," she grumbled apologizingly, looking up at the sky which was weaning on a orangey color with the suns rays disappearing below the wall as dusk weaned its howl. Eren looked sad that she had to leave, striding over to her and ignoring the concerned look that Mikasa had as he moved to stand in front of Emilia. He extended a tan hand, a wide grin on his face. "Thanks for helping Armin, sorry we couldn't be there in time." He thanked her appreciatively, beaming those pearly-whites even wider as she slipped her small hand into his wish a nod.

"No problem, he seems like a cool kid." She murmured, waving to the bowl-cut blonde who cast her a smile of gratitude. "Don't be afraid to learn about the outside world," she said as she was leaving to Armin. "I'd love to explore beyond the walls, honestly. It's like a damn birdcage in here." Armin looked a bit surprised at the discovery that she was yearned for the same thing he and Eren did, moving forward without thought to latch onto the redhead's arm as she turned to leave. Emilia looked back at the boy with a puzzling look on her freckle-dusted face, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Armin had a starry-eyed look on his face as he spoke, "Y-You want to go beyond the w-walls?" he stuttered as though he had cottonmouth, shaking his head before clearing his head as he continued. Eren and Mikasa were curious too now, moving to Armin's side instinctively as he questioned her thoroughly. "Does that mean you want to join the scouts, as well?"

Emilia smiled. "Of course I do, my mother would have my head if I did that, though."

"She can't decide your life and what you do in it for you." Eren spoke up suddenly, ignoring the surprised look his friend and sister shot him. "If you want to join the military, you should."

Her hazel-blue hues zoned in on his viridescent ones, eyeing the way he tugged at his bottom lip nervously awaiting her answer. She eyed the way he held himself, the rebellious manner he had and the determined look in his eyes that sung a song to her soul. He was a boy of many mysteries, and she had more than a couple questions to ask him. Although Armin was the boy she first met, Eren had this look in his eye that pumped her heart full of life and made her lean towards him to murmur her answer.

"Would you do it?"

He blinked at her, his ears red and burning at her closeness. "Join the scouts?"

She nodded.

Eren placed a hand on her shoulder, a wicked grin on his face with a dangerous glint in his eye. "Without hesitation."

A real, wider smile slipped onto her freckled features and she laughed softly, relief in her eyes at not feeling utterly alone in her wishes. "You have no idea how it feels, to hear that I'm not crazy like my mother thinks I am."

"To hell with your mother," Mikasa piped up behind them, Eren and Emilia glanced at her with double surprised expressions. "You should be able to do what you want to do with your life, you're not a rat trapped in a cage like she thinks you are."

Warmth surged through Emilia at Mikasa's words, which meant so dearly to her being that the ravenette had barely spoken. Yet, when Mikasa did speak—it was words of wisdom and words that genuinely meant something to Emilia. She flashed Mikasa an appreciative smile, following behind the trio as they led her towards the river where they decided to stop on the sandy steps above it.

The air was very still, the orange hue of the sky splattering with the yellows and reds perfectly in a colorful pattern. A blissful look painted Emilia's features as she sat beside the wonder trio, Eren above her as she rested her head against his knee and Mikasa to her left who looked down at her and Armin with an affectionate look on her usual stoic face.

"And these, these are seashells! At least, that's what the book says—" Armin was saying, his speech quick and fluent as Emilia listened in with undeniable interest burning in her veins. "Also, there's this huge vast of open space—which is covered with ice! Oh, and there are these mountains that choke out some form of fire!"

She heard Eren rumble above her, "Slow down Armin, we can always have her learn more of your books tomorrow. There's always the next day, so don't choke on air over your excitement—please." His tone was amused, but she could sense the concern in his words. Armin looked up at Eren with a wide-eyed look, his nose scrunching up with thought. "I just want her to learn as much as she can, is that so bad?"

"Eren just doesn't want you to hurt yourself over speaking too fast." Mikasa murmured in her chilling-cool voice. "We're not insulting you, Armin."

Armin perked up at that, the excitement returning to his eyes as he jerked his head up to look up at the fiery redhead. "Well, do you want to learn about the big trees that almost reach the sky at least?"

She chuckled, bumping her head against Eren's side as she nodded to Armin. "I would love to." Armin droned on after that, mumbling incoherently the phrases that were written in his wonderous book while the other three relaxed and listened to the stories he told. There were crows that flew above their heads, their wings tipped by the mere sunlight that was disappearing over the horizon. Emilia followed them with her eyes drowsily as she listened to Armin, her head resting almost in Eren's lap now as they focused on the words being uttered out of Armin's mouth. It was the most relaxed Emilia had been in years, no angry yelling or manipulative speech from her mother to rear her anxiety to life. She could barely feel the welts beneath her arms and covered legs now, the bruises that clung all over her body like an ugly splash of paint. Her red hair spilled in tresses along Eren's lap as she scooted closer to him, his arm coming around in a curl around her head as she rested it against his forearm. Mikasa glanced at the two, smiling softly at the sight since Eren was rarely relaxed. Usually Eren was constantly looking fight, in his rambunctious manner since he always wanted to prove himself. He was a fighter at heart, and seeing him so relaxed with a new addition to their wonder trio was a welcoming sight.

"Eren?" Emilia murmured, staring at the moving river as the waves clashed against the sandy stone. Eren glanced down at the redhead in his lap, tilting his head in question. "Do you think humanity will always be like this? Lambs in a pen unable to burst from their flock, wanting to be set free and out onto the open land."

"I don't think so," Eren muttered. "Humanity can't be stuck inside a cage forever, we're built to overcome any obstacle, aren't we?"

Mikasa looked at them with a dark expression on her pale face, "We can't exactly take on all the titans, and we're just kids."

"Kids _grow_ ," Emilia countered. "All living things grow, Mikasa. Humanity will snap from its chains that are dug deep into the ground eventually, and then the whole world will change."

Eren nodded, his eyes half-lidded with a glint in them. "Things have to change, if humanity is going to survive."

"No titan has ever breached these walls—" He told them triumphantly, "Even if they did, humanity will fight back. We won't sit down and let them stomp all over the achievements we've made to get this far."

Armin lowered his head, setting the book beside him on the step as he rested his head on his knees whilst looking at the river with a forlorn expression. "I hope you're right, Eren."

As the words Eren and Emilia had said settled, the sky took on a eerie look, the clouds that were once a pearly puffy white turning a dull gray as though the sky's tears were about to pour down upon all of them. On their sins, their struggles that they were afraid to speak out about. The buildings around them were quiet, the trade market barely a whisper as the air came to a still and a bolt of lightning shook the ground. The orange of its rays was blinding to the children as they jolted up to their feet, Emilia raising her hand above her eyes to block out the blinding light with a sharp cry. A large, sunken-faced head was hovering over the top of the large walls that enclosed the humans in like sheep. It's eyes were cold and dark, it's height over fifty-feet tall as he was hovering above the walls and looking down on humanity with a deep rumble. Eren gasped, his eyes widening into saucers as his viridiscent eyes took in the horrifying sight that stood over the wall with a threatening presence. Emilia laid a hand on his shoulder, Mikasa and Armin behind her in tow as they stared wide-eyed at the gigantic titan that loomed over the wall.

"T-That's—"

"A _Titan_!"

"It's over fifty-feet tall!" Armin shouted, his eyes blurring with tears as he pointed a shaky pale finger at the large titan. "Eren, we have—" as he rustled his friend's shoulder, there was a large _crack_ as the colossal rammed his large foot into the wall, breaking clean through as debris flew fast into buildings, shattering windows as glass fell with shards to the ground and rocks falling down upon civilians whilst crushing them in their path. Emilia could hear the terrified screams of terror from many humans within the walls, seeing blood splattered beneath rocks with many corpses underneath as the children rushes towards the market square. Eren was shaking visibly, his stature changed from the relaxed pose he had held earlier. His eyes were wide, his hands shaking as he curled them into fists. "My mom—our mom—, _she's in that direction_ —" he murmured brokenly, pointing in the designated direction as he let out a cry before barreling towards his house. " _Mom_!"

"Eren! Mikasa!" Armin shouted, watching helplessly as the two sprinted towards where their mother was. Emilia stood beside Armin, slipping her hand into his while she dragged him behind her as she broke into a sprint. "We need to get help, do you know anyone who could help us?" She ordered, barely waiting for a response from the blonde as they hurried down the streets that were marked with corpses and blood splattered against the ground. "I know someone on the garrison, he could help us—" Armin told her shakily. "What about your parents?"

Emilia's blood ran cold as Armin asked about her parents, eyes widening as she glanced towards the small townhouse near them where her home once stood. She could feel the drum of her heart race, eyeing the stretched out hand beneath the rubble that was marked with the scars of a blacksmith.

Her father.

Her form went completely still, eyeing the specks of blood dribbling down his palm as it ran down the debris underneath him. She could see matted blonde hair, the curls that were once neat and looked after a mess and patches missing from brain matter flooding down the rocks. She could see her mother's form next to him, her once crazy hazel eyes still and cold—unblinking and wide. Armin could feel Emilia freeze up in his palm, turning to look in the direction where her eyes travelled to, mouth opening in shock as he could see clearly why the girl had stopped.

"E-Emi—"

"Don't."

Her voice was cold, clipped and sharp. Unlike the previous tone she always had, which was always bubbling over with emotion and life. Now, her hazel-blue eyes were dull and lifeless. She could feel the life drain from her body, the feeling in her arms and legs go numb as she slumped to the ground in defeat. She stared at her father's hand, eyeing the dirty fingernails dusted with charcoal and the scars from hitting the hammer. She saw a familiar tan, small object in his hand that was seemingly untouched—except for the specks of blood that was spotted over the cover. Emilia gripped it firmly, sliding it out from his limp hand and clutching the object to her chest. It was her journal, her source for writing and drawing her pain that always soothed her thoughts. Wet, hot tears bubbled up and fell down her cheeks as she clutched the journal to her, the undeniable agonizing pain ringing home and unwinding as it took control of her emotional state and physical. She barely felt Armin shake her shoulders with urgency, couldn't hear the lumbering footsteps of a titan thundering towards them with the slowness of a snail.

The tears were dribbling down her cheeks like a waterfall, their clear stream dotting the rubble-covered ground with wet spots as her hands shook with unimaginable rage and pain. A surge of electrifying emotion ran through her, cracking like a whip as she suddenly stood and rose her head. The journal in her hand was huddled close to her side as she met the stare of the titan lumbering towards them. Armin was pulling at her free hand, crying out several words that she could barely hear. Emilia simply stood, watching as the titan moved closer with it's ever steadfast smile. There was dirty brown hair that ran down into a shoulder-length cut, its eyes that were wide were filled with a crazed hunger that swirled in it's dark eyes. She could feel it's urge to devour her from her spot, although the titan was creeping closer by the minute. She curled her lip into a snarl as she uttered words that were as venomous as they sounded, hatred swirling in her beautiful crystal-blue hazel gaze once she pointed at the titan.

" _I'm going to kill you_. All of _you_."

"Emilia!" Armin shouted, tugging on his friend's hand with newly developed urgency than before. "We have to go! It's getting closer, come on Emilia!"

Emilia barely felt herself turn away from the titan as she allowed her timid friend to guide her away from the lumbering tyrant, following in his quick steps as she turned slowly away from the smiling titan. It seemed as if it was watching her leave, halting in its movements to stare her down as Armin retreated with her behind him. The blonde repeatedly checked over his shoulder on the emotionless redhead, seeing her eyes dull and lifeless took a toll on the blonde. The girl had done everything she could to save him from the bullies, and seeing her so emotionally gone pained the oceanic-eyed boy greatly.

"We need to find Eren and Mikasa," Armin murmured, loud enough for the girl behind him to hear. He squeezed her hand in his gently, making sure she was keeping up with him as they moved throughout the rubble and crying victims. He blocked out the horror around him as best as he could, tugging Emilia along behind him as he glanced around looking for a familiar blonde-haired garrison soldier with a pencil stache. Armin's oceanic blue eyes searched thoroughly through the crowds, looking amongst the debris and corpses that littered the streets. He could see several civilians amongst them, even children that were smacked against the pavement and swallowed beneath the rubble alongside their parents or caretakers. He squeezed his eyes shut as he sped up, calling out a name that Emilia didn't recognize but heard nonetheless as they slowed to a halt.

" _Hannes_! Hannes, we need your help!"

"You're the blonde kid who's friends with Eren Yeager, aren't you?" A gruff voice spoke, allowing Emilia to dully look up at the blonde-haired soldier that sported a thin moustache above his upper lip. She tilted her head, quiet and still beside Armin who held a protective stance next to her. "We need to find Eren and Mikasa, they went in the direction of Mrs. Yeager's home." Armin rushed out urgently, pointing his free hand in the direction of where Eren and Mikasa had fled.

Hannes looked somewhat ruffled at the fact that the two kids had rushed off on their own, scratching the back of his neck as he nodded to Armin. "Alright, I'll go find them. Find your grandfather and get on a damn boat now, would you?" He grumbled, ruffling Armin's hair affectionately before looking at Emilia before he took off, "You're a new face, I'm guessing Eren got you into the mix?"

Emilia was silent, meeting Hannes' eyes with a deadpan look on her face. He looked put off by that, a shiver running down his spine at the cold look in her eyes. It was honestly as terrifying as Mikasa's. Hannes shrugged with a sigh, patting her on the head with a large hand before taking off with his ODM gear, the gas spurting out from the engine behind him in a quick _whirr_.

Armin turned to Emilia, blinking at her as he examined her over. He eyed the emotionless dead look in her cold eyes, seeing the intimidating expression that Hannes had seen himself. He had to be strong for them both, although he could tell Emilia had a war of her own inside her mind, except without the bullets. He put a pale hand on her shoulder, his blonde bangs falling into his icy blue eyes as he spoke to her. "We're going to find my grandfather, and then we're going to get on a boat and wait for Eren and Mikasa, alright?" He instructed her, searching her eyes frantically for any sign of acknowledgement. Emilia slid her eyes to his, the cold stare sending tingles down his arms before she gave him a brief nod.

He let out a sigh of relief from seeing her nod at his instructions, pulling her alongside behind him as he jogged through the corpse-littered street that smelled of death and ash. Armin glanced up at the sky, seeing the reddening dusty sky flood with embers that sparked from the fires that marked the earth around them. Armin's eyes were wide as he took in the torn down buildings around him and Emilia, seeing the piles of bodies and broken carts that once stood in the market square. As he examined his surroundings, he took note of a familiar hat that bobbed above the crowd. His heart leaped in his throat as he broke forward into a run, praying Emilia kept up behind him as he knocked into the whiskered-face of his grandfather he gazed down at him with a sad smile.

"Where are your other friends?" He rumbled, ruffling the blonde's hair affectionately as Armin dropped Emilia's hand to burrow his face in his grandfather's chest. "This young'un seems new," he noted, looking at Emilia with a curious eye. "Very pretty, haven't seen such fiery red hair like that in ages. Almost brings me back to my teenage roots." Emilia was listening, although the inclination of her head was obvious notion of that. She hadn't spoken since discovering her parent's bodies beneath the rubble, and it didn't seem like that would change. Armin glanced at her, gently slipping his shaky hand into hers as he followed his grandfather into the bobbing boat that rested over the river dock, moving throughout the waves of terrified people that were crying and screaming to be let onto the boat. Several attempted to jump onto the bow of the boat, losing their grip and tumbling to the deep depths of the water. Armin watched in horror, Emilia an emotionless husk beside him as she looked amongst the faces of people with a death grip on the rails. 

Armin rested his hands on the rails beside her, his grandfather watching the two with a somber expression. The blonde glanced at his friend, gently tapping her on the shoulder with slight hesitation beforehand. She turned to look at him, waiting patiently. Armin swallowed, his pulse quickening as he prepared to speak to her. "Have you seen Eren or Mikasa in the crowd at all? Or Hannes? He was told to go find them—"

He was interrupted by the redhead pointing a finger into the crowd, focused on a bright-eyed boy who looked as if he seen death itself, a dark look on his features and his eyes haunted almost as much as Emilia's. Armin turned to look at where she was pointing at before shouting with recognition of seeing his best friend—"Eren, Mikasa! You made it—" he caught the haunted look in Eren's eyes as the boy and his adopted sister boarded the boat, both of them eerily quiet and still as they entered. Emilia rolled her eyes over to where Eren stood, the both of them simply staring at each other for a couple minutes. Mikasa put a gentle hand on Eren's shoulder, whispering something incorrigible before they had a chance to hear what she said. Emilia moved swiftly forward, stopping in front of Eren with the litheness of a cat. Armin and Mikasa looked between the two with a sad look in their eyes, deciding to step back and let the two converse amongst themselves privately.

Eren sat on one of the wooden benches behind them, Emilia following in tow as the boat left the dock and made it's journey along the easy riverbed. The wind stirred her red waves of hair, the messy unkemptness still there and a welcoming look to Eren. She pressed her face into her knees as she sat beside the quiet brunette, her eyes clouded with grief and agonizing pain. When Eren spoke, it was as if a curse was lifted when Emilia turned to look at him. "My mom, she was swallowed and eaten by one of the titans." He told her numbly, tears welling up in his eyes and blurring his once clear vision. His hands came up to tangle in his hair, a roar of rage erupting from his lungs. "I don't understand, _why her_? _Why_ did my mom have to get eaten by a titan?" He whispered, looking at Emilia with tears in his eyes. 

"I don't know," she whispered hoarsely as though there was sand on her tongue. Armin and Mikasa looked at the pair, Armin's eyes wide as he listened to Emilia finally speak. Emilia rose her head from where it rested on her knees, meeting the beautiful-eyed boy who's eyes stared deep into her soul. The two of them shared an understanding as she started to speak, both teary-eyed and dealing with unimaginable grief and agony deep within them. "Why did my parents have to be crushed by rubble? Why did the wall get broken in by a fifty-foot something titan?" She rushed out, curling her hands up into her red waves and digging them in harshly. "Why is the world so cruel, why is humanity constantly getting punished?"

Eren stared with an alarmingly wide look at Emilia, understanding the pain she held deep inside her that dug at her heart like thousands of piercing knives. He knew that agony, that clawed hand that wrapped around her heart and squeezed till it popped. He could feel the hurt inside her that she buried deep, behind the demons in her mind and the monsters that crept up from the inside. Her eyes were a beautiful blue steel grey now, the gold hazel ring around the pupil swirling into a pleasant hue as he put a hand gently on her shoulder with a determined set to his jaw.

" _We'll kill them_." He promised her, his voice rough and raspy before he rose to his feet and slammed his hands down on the railing of the chestnut-colored boat with undeniable rage that made him shake with hatred. His eyes were blown wide, pupils black and dark as his viridescent colored eyes whirled with anger. "I'll kill them _all_. All the titans, _every last_ one!"

In that moment, that display of utter hatred and emotion, Emilia found a lifeline that held her down and ravaged her heart whole. Eren Yeager held her in the palm of his hand, from the moment she set eyes on sea-green eyes she could feel that spark of freedom swim around and grab her by the hand to carry her home. She gathered her wits and rose to join him by the railing, screaming out beside him: " _Every last one_ , we will kill you _all_!" She snarled out, gripping the railing while her knuckles whitened. She could taste blood on her tongue as she screamed out her hatred, the brunette beside her looking at her with an unreadable expression.

Eren could see that Emilia was no joke, the way she carried herself and the stories she told just by looking you in the eye. He could see that unbeatable rage flow within her, her veins pumping full of hatred and the glint in her eyes that promised a danger that he wanted to dive into and never let go. The two seemingly had an understanding as they stared at one another, resting against the back of the boat as they scooted against the wall's cove. Armin and Mikasa settled beside them as well, Armin on Emilia's left and Mikasa on Eren's right. The four were an entwined group now, accepting Emilia as one of their own with great adoration and respect for her. Mikasa gently placed a hand on Emilia's from her side by Eren, squeezing it affectionately as she offered a small, rare smile. The redhead nodded to her solemnly, squeezing her hand pack as she settled against Eren and Armin laid his head in her lap. Her eyes were slipping close, the blonde in her lap looking like a drowned kitten as he rested his head. Eren wrapped an arm around his adopted sister and newly acquired redhead friend, a dark look in his eyes as he stared emotionlessly ahead at the wall where Armin's grandfather stood beside. The whiskered-faced elderly man looked over the four with a sad look in his eyes, his icy blues somber and grief stricken as he took in the emotionally traumatized children.

That day, humanity knew, that they couldn't stay inside a bird cage forever. The Pandemonium had begun, and it was going to wreak havoc on the entire world.


	2. Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia, Eren, Armin, & Mikasa discover what it means to be truly and utterly cast out like strays. The four of them start their training in the 104th Cadet Corps, drinking their vengeance up and moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters may be more than weekly honestly, I have a bunch of inspiration for Pandemonium! Hope you all like the chapter.
> 
> \---------------
> 
> "There's so much that goes on in my head that people will never see,
> 
> You probably be terrified of my memories, don't lecture me.
> 
> Let me be, let me see, let me breathe, how they remember me.
> 
> Don't alter who I am as a person to take my energy, yeah."

**Vengeance**

Her head was high as she stood straight and still in a line along with the other cadets, cold hazel-blue eyes staring straight ahead at the back of another trainee's skull with the look of contempt painting her freckled face. There were flashes of small moments from being mistreated by the military police while her and the others were forced to hide behind wall rose, although it was crowded enough beforehand and with all the refugees it was even more overwhelming. She remembered the way Eren fought back against their cruelty, the hatred gleaming in his bright eyes as he punched one of the mocking soldier's in the face, Mikasa having to restrain him afterwards and Armin apologizing for his friends' reckless behavior. During the quarrel that went on afterwards between Mikasa and Eren—Emilia stood by Armin's timid side as Mikasa shoveled a loaf of bread in the messy-haired brunette's mouth to force him to eat. She could barely hear the cold and collective tone of Mikasa, ordering him to eat in order to survive. Emilia could still see the wet salty tears falling down the boy's face as he started to chew on the bread loaf whilst crying. 

It was all a joke. Every single thing that led up to them joining the military in order to gather the strength to join the scout regiment, all of it was a cruel joke. Countless death, countless cruelty and hatred that sought after the children like pecking crows that wouldn't stop until every bit of flesh was ripped off their bodies like a carcass.

Emilia's icy gaze followed the bald commander who had a terrifying scowl on his face as he walked from row to row and reprimanded every fault or foolish dream any of the cadets had. He made sure to shut everyone's blind wishes down, reminding them of how the world wasn't a place full of rainbows and butterflies and instead was a horrifying nightmare that was endless. She dragged her gaze to the familiar blonde bowl-cut haired teenager across the row from hers, blinking dully at the way Keith Shadis grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and screamed venomous words into the poor kid's face. She noted the trembling hands and legs of the blonde boy, the spark in his eyes gone as he let the commanding military teacher shout foul words into his face. Gone was the childish, starry-eyed look that came to life when he wanted to explain the large waves of water that were licked with salt, or the fire spitting out of mountains that tumbled down rocks.

His whiskered-dark face narrowed as he dropped Armin, glancing at her row with a curious look in his dark eyes. She noted the scruffy goatee he sported that hung from his chin, the wrinkles that dented his forehead and the stern look on his mouth. Emilia tilted her head slightly, the icy glint in her eyes catching Keith's before he flinched at the resentment that flowed from her tiny form in waves. He scratched his chin briskly, making a _hm_ noise before carrying his giant body else where.

As the sun beamed down on all of the trainees with its heat waves of misery, she could feel its blinding ways touched down on her face and coloring her cheeks red from the overwhelming heat. The raven-haired female beside her cast her a concerned look, although Mikasa was usually stoic and distant. She turned her charcoal-eyed gaze to Emilia's, blinking slowly in a way of conversation that Emilia understood due to the sisterhood they both shared since getting closer with one another over the hard years. Emilia's hair was longer now, longer than Mikasa's straight silky ebony hair that fell down her shoulders. Her scarlet curls swirled down past her chest, an intimidating fire that added to her appearance. There was a scar that slashed across her nose barely, a pink thin one that was a mark of some of the military police's harmful touches to the beautiful redhead. Her hands were small and thin, but marred with bruises and scars that painted her arms and legs like a gruesome canvas. She met Mikasa's eyes, offering a small smile and allowing the ravenette to know she was doing alright. The best she could despite their circumstances, anyway. 

She was surprised that the rebellious brunette who was a few rows over hadn't been interrogated, although Keith Shadis probably saw the three of them as mentally disturbed enough—thanks to the titans that devoured their parents. That just left Armin, who had been interrogated already and was shocked stiff as he stood amongst his row shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest. Emilia felt a slight twinge of pity for the blonde, knowing he was sweet-hearted and an intelligent boy that could show the world his worth as long as he crawled out of his shell he hid inside. 

As Keith Shadis finished making his rounds, every cadet slammed their hand against their chest in the designated salute they were meant to learn before training started, some trainees shivering in their boots from the terror that had commenced from their commander speaking to them. Most of them that were shaking looked as if they pissed themselves, sweat dripping down their necks and matting their hair with their nervous energy. She frowned, a static ringing in her ear that tingled as she followed the recruits towards the cabin's whilst the skinny brunette girl who offered Keith Shadis a slightly small half of her potato was left to run laps around the training grounds. She didn't quite focus on that whole ordeal, due to having dark thoughts and memories during the entire presentation that Keith Shadis laid out for them—via screams and insults being spat into their faces—but she did overhear her name and the words that were said between the commander and the brunette with the ponytail. Her name was Sasha, Sasha Braus—an interesting character, with a suicidal wish apparently—since antagonizing the commander during instruction due to her munching on a baked potato she stole. Emilia swallowed a chortle of laughter as she watched the skinny teen run sharp laps around the grounds with heavy-lidded brown eyes that screamed for hunger.

"She's an interesting character," a soft voice spoke up beside her, their hair blonde and long unlike Armin's which was short and tamed. The girl speaking to her now had a pretty face, big baby blue eyes that complimented her silky pale complexion nicely. The golden-haired girl smiled up at Emilia, her head tilting to the side like a puppy as she continued with her earlier comment—"She had the wit to offer a piece of her stolen potato to a frightening commander, she's got some guts."

Emilia frowned, inclining her head to the side. "Guts? She has a suicide wish on her hands. I'm surprised he didn't do worse than make her run a couple hundred laps." The blonde girl was a bit surprised by the warm voice that uttered out of the redhead's lips, blinking wide-eyed at her. "Your voice doesn't seem as scary as you look, why is that?"

"Didn't know I had a set tone of voice due to my appearance," Emilia commented sharply, glaring down at the tiny blonde. "Who are you, anyway?"

Her wide blue eyes looked up at Emilia thoughtfully before replying, a blush covering her cheeks shortly after. "I'm Christa Lenz, sorry if I insulted you! I didn't mean to—"

"Why are you interrogating this tiny thing?" A deep voice growled behind Christa, a broad-shouldered boy with a blonde clean cut that had a large jawline that was sharp. Emilia dragged her eyes lazily to where he stood, his height and intimidating presence not startling her in the slightest. "She's not a _thing_ , she's a person. She seems like she can speak for herself too, right?" She inquired to the blonde girl, watching her head bob up and down quickly in a fierce nod.

Icy hazel-blue eyes met the large boy's eye with a glare, curling her lip as he strode up to her with a growl. She pressed a firm palm against his chest, rapping it with her fist hard as she bit out: "I would advise getting your panties in a twist over a mere exchange, tough guy." The said _tough guy_ wrinkled his nose at her words, his protective guardian stature lessening a bit at her smart words. "I meant Christa no harm, you read the situation entirely wrong. Learn to approach a situation cautiously before rushing into one, yeah?" Her lilted voice was clipped and short, matching her angry gaze that was sharp set onto the blonde boy's. 

He coughed into his hand prematurely, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly as he nodded to her explanation. "My bad, you're—you're really something aren't you?" He rushed out, seemingly taken aback by the straight forward and blunt redhead. His ears burned with a flush, embarrassment crowding his senses. "That wasn't the greatest introduction, was it? I apologize for being overbearing, Christa." He said to the tiny blonde girl with an apologetic smile, a relieved sigh echoing from him once Christa nodded with an angelic grin on her rosy face.

Emilia shook her head at the broad shouldered male, spinning on her heel before marching in the direction of the community quarters, where the kitchen lay waiting ripe for pickings.

Where Eren, and the rest of her close friends were. The freckled faced teenager girl was slightly miffed by the previous encounter, wanting more than anything to just be by Eren and relax near Armin and Mikasa. They were her best friends, the people that brought life back into her eyes after the gruesome deaths of her parents from the Colossal and Armored Titan's attack. Crushed underneath the rubble, brain matter splattering against the rocky street and the only thing left untouched was her journal. The journal she still kept close, although it was tucked away in her bag that laid over her shoulder in a tight lock. She rolled her shoulders back, popping her knuckles as she walked into the candle-lit cabin that smelled blissfully of honeyed bread and grub. Her eyes darted around the cabin, unfamiliar faces flooding into view as she pushed her way to the back corner where two bickering siblings sat along with a quiet bowl-cut haired boy. She caught Armin's eye as she moved swiftly forward, him noticing her cat-like movements and beaming a wide smile at her as he beckoned her over with a hand.

A sigh of relief left the mentally exhausted redhead's lungs as she trotted over to the bench they sat on, gingerly sitting down beside Armin as Mikasa and Eren fought over who knows what. She could see the pleading look in Eren's eyes as she sat down, causing a soft chuckle to rip from her lungs as she watched Mikasa smother him with her sisterly protection.

"Eren, we talked about this. You need to calm down and think thoroughly about what you want to do in your future," The dark haired girl was saying, her narrow eyes full with unreadable emotion. Emilia could tell from the way Mikasa was poised currently that she was afraid for Eren, mainly scared of losing him beyond the wall that he so dearly wanted to explore. The open world, where there were big trees known as forests and sandy deserts that were rooted with heat wave storms. Emilia shot Mikasa a sad smile, shaking her head at her before the ravenette dared to interrogate Eren further. All of them knew what branch Eren wanted to join, and Emilia was right there along with him in furthering that dream to be a reality. Eren turned to Emilia with a determined look in his bright eyes, launching forward in his seat to settle his hands on her shoulders with his jaw set and locked. Emilia's face colored, attempting to scoot back from the attention she was getting.

"Emilia, you agree with me—right? Being a scout is the only way humanity can get control back!" He demanded, sea-green eyes searching hers thoroughly as she attempted to release herself from his grasp. It failed utterly, since the boy had a firm grip on her shoulders and would not release her until he got a straight answer from the redhead. She rose a thin eyebrow at him, tilting her head at him as she spoke. "I agree with you, although everyone needs the correct training in order to get there and become a decent scout. I understand you're not hesitant in any way to join their branch, but you need to think about what you're getting yourself into beforehand." She told him honestly, watching him blink in disbelief at her wisdom.

Armin was wide eyed at the exchange, exchanging looks with Mikasa as they watched the pair converse about the future. "We're only half way there Eren, and if you want to honestly join the scout regiment and be amongst their ranks to take back the world from the titans, then you need to work your ass off in training in order to gain the right skills and motives to be among them." Emilia went on, watching as the bright eyed boy dropped his hands from her shoulders and was looking at her in a different light. His bangs were messy as they fell into his eyes, a frown smoothing over his features. "When did you get so smart?" He uttered wearily.

Someone snorted from behind them, a round-eyed boy with a shaved head moving over to them with a jump in his step. Several others were gathering around their table now, eager and starry eyed for information from the four of them. "How do you know all this? Were you at Wall Maria during the attack?" There were several questions similar to this, and a ticked off expression smoothly flooded onto Emilia's face, and it was hard for her not to lash out at the overwhelming teens that demanded information about the titans that broke through Wall Maria's walls.

"We lived there," Eren murmured, scooping a spoonful of soup into his mouth as the teenagers crowded around him like a pack of birds scavenging for scraps, listening to every word that came out of Eren's mouth and sponging the information up with their impatient minds. "The Colossal Titan was huge, about over fifty-feet tall. His foot broke clean through the wall and countless people were crushed by the rubble that landed due to his strength."

Emilia's gaze was clouded now as she shrank down in her seat, Armin immediately sensing her discomfort and looking between Eren and her frantically. It wasn't normal for Emilia to close up like she was beginning to do, but due to her PTSD and the trauma that plagued her mind like a disease, that threat was swallowing her up hole and locking a padlock on it's hold and tossing the key. Her mind was at war as Eren continued his false confidence debacle of the attack on Wall Maria, nails digging deep into the wooden table and scratching it like claw marks. Mikasa noted her inner turmoil with a gasp, surging forward in her seat to grasp Emilia's hand and tug her to her side as quick as she could. Her sisterly attitude extended to Emilia very frequently, especially since the redhead had done so much for her and her family, including Armin. Mikasa's cold eyes pierced the crowd like a knife, clutching Emilia to her side as the redhead twitched and mumbled incoherently. 

"So what do one of the normal, smaller titans look like?" One of the oblivious cadets asked, causing a rush of emotions to swim to the surface of both Emilia and Eren's mind, Eren dropping his spoon harshly and Emilia letting out a muffled scream into Mikasa's neck as the asian girl nestled her against her like an overprotective mother. Eren was choked up as he slapped a hand against his mouth, teary eyed as he swallowed sharply. The teenagers that rooted around them were surprised now, guilty looks painting their oblivious faces as they attempted to apologize—"H-Hey, we're really sorry we know you have been through a lot," they started, startled as Eren jolted his head up and took a large bite out of his loaf of bread with false arrogance.

There was a crazed look in his bright sea-green eyes as he met their panicked stares head on with a manic gaze. "No, no. The normal titans? They aren't a a big problem. We could take them all on easily, what with the ODM gear and the perfectly sharpened swords we'll be training with? We'll be able to kill them easily, all of those worthless, disgusting creatures."

"You sound like you've given this a lot of thought, for a freshly new cadet." A snobby male voice spoke up from the table next to them, belonging to a horse-faced boy with a light brown undercut that fit his large skull nicely. Eren looked at the boy with a glare, rising from his seat as he stepped toward the male and met him face-to-face. "Yeah? What about it? Are you telling me we shouldn't kill all those titans and take back the world for all of humanity?" Eren berated him, curling his lip in a snarl as he marched forward. 

The snobbish boy let out a harsh laugh of amusement, his cocky grin mocking and crooked. "Sure, and we'll all get swallowed and chewed on like toys. Why not sit back and relax with the Military Police and live in the interior? We'll all be safe, and be serving the King right there in the capitol." He made a wide open gesture with his hands, guffawing at the pissed off look on Eren's face from his words. A freckled-faced dark haired boy was shaking the antagonizing male's shoulder from behind him, wide caramel eyes scared and shaking his head repeatedly. "Jean, it's not wise to provoke others. C'mon, man—"

Jean brushed off the freckled boy's touch with a scoff, "Marco, are you kidding me? Are you not listening to this suicidal block head's words? He's basically telling us all to get ourselves killed for the sake of taking back some territory!"

"Actually, it's quite the opposite." Emilia growled out suddenly, spooking everyone in the cabin that was dimly lit by candles. Mikasa reached out for her desperately as the redhead removed herself from her fetal position beside the asian girl, moving forward to step beside Eren with a furrowed brow. She could feel the heated anger coming off of Eren in waves, and having her at his side started to relax him somewhat. She laid a small, scarred hand on his shoulder and looked at Jean with a look of contempt. "Eren isn't telling anyone to kill themselves for the sake of humanity. He's telling them to fight back against the pen that has held us in it's strong hold for years."

"Wouldn't you rather be out there, in the open space with plenty of trees, wildlife and resources? Why stay inside crowded walls that smell of death and piss? Shouldn't be fighting for the world we live in, take out the enemies in our path and finally get the freedom we so desperately yearn for?"

"Tell me, 'Jean'—" she made air quotes with her fingers with an equal mocking tone as he had set, "Are you truly this single-minded, that you'd rather sit inside the interior twiddling your thumbs, and letting everyone else do the big boy work; while you sit back on your ass—and succumb to the inner corrupted system that lies inside Wall Sina?"

The hall was dead quiet at Emilia's words, everyone watching the argument with wide doe eyes. Clearly, no one had knew what to do in that moment as they watched Emilia Martin utterly destroy Jean's cool and collected smug mentality. Jean had a stern look to his face now, opening his mouth to bite back at Emilia's undeniable honesty that had to have an impact on the small-minded male. He launched forward at the redhead, Eren immediately breaking forward to grasp Jean by the scruff of his undershirt with an unshakeable protectiveness over the small redhead.

Jean scoffed at the brunette, pushing him away roughly and poking fun at him with his words. "What is she to you, huh? Your bitchy attack dog that picks up the slack that you can't handle?"

Wrong move.

Eren's eyes enlarged into a crazed state, the viridescent hues swirling like a tsunami in their beautiful color as the boy shot a jab at Jean's jaw, spitting fury as he started to beat the ever living shit out of the horse-faced male. Jean met him punch-for-punch, ducking and weaving between several shots that missed their point. Eren Yeager was entirely ruffled now, the rage inside him swimming to the surface at Jean's words. Whenever someone talked badly about Emilia, or threatened her in anyway—it was like a fire ignited inside Eren due to his attachment to the redhead who understood the irreplaceable vengeance that ran through his veins like a drug. There was a sharp ringing in the enraged brunette's ears, almost like he was losing his hearing as he continued to place designated firm punches along Jean's jaw and his eye.

As the fight went on, the teenagers surrounding the tussling pair were trying to shout for them to cut it out. Mikasa moved from her seat swiftly, Armin in tow as they ran up beside Emilia who was eerily still and watching Eren beat the life out of Jean. Mikasa shook her redhaired friend sharply, knocking the icy-eyed female out of her trance and spurring her into motion. Mikasa and Emilia broke forward, grabbing each of Eren's arms and pulling him off of the bleeding boy with a mighty effort. The freckle-dusted boy who was clearly Jean's only friend broke forward, grabbing Jean and moving him off of the wooden floor with a soft murmuring, clearly coaxing him to calm down the best he could. Armin leapt to Mikasa and Emilia's side, setting Eren down on the bench where they retreated to in the far opposite corner. Jean was glaring daggers out of his one good eye, the other eye bloodied and bruising into a nasty purple.

Eren's pulse was jumping into his throat as he fought to gain control of his senses, Emilia gathering his head in her lap as he laid his back against the bench with a groan. Her back was pressed up against the wooden-logged wall, raking her nails through his chocolate waves affectionately in a soothing manner. Mikasa was seated on the opposite side of the bench next to Armin, watching the pair with a worried look in her gray eyes.

The four of them sat in still silence, murmurs and mumbles of the other teens around them occupying the hall for the rest of the dinner time. Eren was looking up into Emilia's eyes as she glanced down at him with a soft stare. Her icy and guarded eyes were gentle as she looked down at the rambunctious boy, caressing his hair as she ran her nails through it. His pulse was fast, yet not as quick as it was during the fight. She could feel the warmth beneath her palm, her eyes lidded in a narrowed gaze whilst her dark eyelashes fluttered with each breath she took.

She met Eren's heavy stare with ease, tapping the side of his neck where his pulse hammered with an index finger. "I understand you were angry, but you need to learn how to _control_ your emotions." She murmured, shushing him as he opened his mouth to speak with a puzzled expression. She settled a finger on his lips, locking his speech away as she continued. "I appreciate your support, but you can't go starting fights the entire time we're here. Our job here is to train hard enough to be able to join the scout regiment, remember?" Emilia reiterated to him, eyebrows furrowing into a stern expression. "We can't do that if we get kicked out on the first day, alright?"

"You wouldn't get kicked out, _I_ would." Eren mumbled childishly, blinking up at her with round eyes. "I didn't like him talking about you that way."

Emilia laughed. "Not everyone is going to like me, but we'll have to at least be civil with everyone. Even if we don't get along with them," she told him gently, smiling at the way he wrinkled his nose from her chastising him. "I'm on your side Eren, so is Mikasa and Armin. You don't have to do everything on your own, you can depend on us a little bit."

"You're my family," Mikasa uttered from her spot besides Armin, who nodded at her words in agreement. "I'd do anything for you. So would Armin, you know that." Eren rose from his spot where he lay in Emilia's lap, rubbing his eyes with a weary look to them. "I appreciate it, you know I do. I just hate people talking down on the scouts, wanting to just live inside this damn cage for longer."

Emilia chuckled, watching everyone flood out the door to their designated cabins where they would rest their heads for the night. She fell in step with the trio as they rose from their seats, following behind Eren and Mikasa as she fell into an easy stride beside Armin. She overheard Eren telling Mikasa that she should cut her hair so it doesn't get grabbed or in the way, making Emilia roll her eyes half-heartedly. Eren may act annoyed when Mikasa treats him like a child, but he had no excuse for ordering her around about her hair or antics. 

Armin poked her arm to get her attention, meeting his oceanic hues with a small smile. "Don't blame yourself for Eren's rough-housing, it's not your fault. He's always been that way, ever since I met that snot-nosed kid who constantly picked a fight."

She laughed, "Snot-nosed? He was a cry baby, then?"

He chuckled at her comment, shaking his head. "No, just got sick a lot due to his anger episodes. He's got some serious issues, Emilia. Yet, he's a good guy. I'm glad you're able to calm him down, somewhat."

"He's always been this angry, huh?" She mused aloud. Armin blinked, nodding shortly after. "It runs in his blood, his father had a lot of issues too. Usually whenever a visit went wrong for Doctor Yeager, he was angry for several days. Holed up in the basement he locked up all the time, according to Eren. The man obviously had a lot going on."

"Is the key that Eren wears around his neck able to unlock the basement?" Emilia inquired, looking to Armin expectantly. The blonde nodded, "Apparently, that was the last thing he got from his father before he disappeared. Mr. Yeager wasn't seen after his last visit with Eren, during the beginning of our rough time in Wall Rose."

Emilia frowned, a strange feeling gathering in her chest at Armin's explanation. Something didn't sound quite right, and it caused the cogs in her brain to move like clockwork at a fast pace. "He disappeared, after the last time Eren saw him?"

"Yes, why?" Armin asked, a puzzled look on his innocent face.

"Doesn't that sound kind of suspicious to you?" Emilia questioned, making wide gestures with her hands as she talked along the dirt covered ground on their way to their respected cabins. "Eren sees his father, his father gives him a key, then after that said father disappears without a trace. It doesn't seem right, Armin."

Armin hummed to himself softly, blonde bangs falling into his eyes as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "You might have a point, Emilia. When Eren told me and Mikasa about the encounter he had, it didn't seem like he remembered all the details of the visitation with his father."

The redhead was alarmed once Armin leaked the information to her, narrow eyes widening to saucers. "He had memory loss, afterwards? That's not right, Armin."

Armin nodded his agreement, coming to a stop as he followed after the brunette haired boy to the cabin where he was assigned. He waved a hand and called to Emilia over his shoulder before retreating into the mouth of the cabin. "We'll talk more about it one day, get some sleep Emilia."

Eren glanced up at her name, shooting Armin a confused look before the blonde ushered the brunette into the cabin before he could berate the two with questions. Emilia walked up beside Mikasa, following the dark haired girl with ease. The two walked in a comfortable silence, exhaustion working its way over their bones as they headed their way to the cabin they would reside in. She followed Mikasa in, setting her bag that was looped tight around her shoulder onto the cotton materialled bed below Mikasa's. Her narrow eyes honed in on her bag, an urge to take out her journal and jot down notes or scratch out her own tiny canvas with a charcoal stick she left inside it. She heard Mikasa move above her, the asian girl looked down to her and waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"What did you and Armin discuss?" Mikasa asked her softly, peering down at her with big dark eyes. "You seemed a bit miffed afterwards."

Emilia snorted. "I'm always a bit miffed, Mika." She muttered, Mikasa's eyes softening at the nickname Emilia uttered. "We just discussed some things about Eren, that's all."

Mikasa frowned, "What about?"

"Dr. Yeager, the visit they had before he disappeared without a trace. Isn't it a bit weird what all went down?" Emilia asked her wearily, settling down against her bunk with her red waves flowing over the white fluffy pillow. She settled a hand on her chest, the other behind her head in a comfortable position. "Things just don't add up, you know?"

"I wouldn't worry about it, besides, we have a long day of training tomorrow." Mikasa told her, moving back and shifting on her bed to get in a more suitable spot. "Remember to concentrate that fiery mind of yours, and don't speak out of turn."

"Yes, mother." Emilia jested fondly, laughing before settling underneath the cover with her face nestled into the pillow. Her eyes drifted close, soft puffs of air exiting her lungs as she drifted off to sleep.

It would be a long, stressful day of training. A day, where many things would change with the fiery redhead, as well as her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully chapter three will be up later this week, I will do my best! Very proud with how Pandemonium is going so far. The next chapter, will be all about the training the cadets endure.


	3. Tenacious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia and the wonder trio start their cadet training, undertaking the long and heavy burden of learning what it takes to handle the titans and beyond the walls. Eren runs into some difficulties with the ODM gear, unable to keep his balance from unknown circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, here to publish another chapter for all of you! Hope you enjoy, I do my best to make my chapters long and detailed!
> 
> \---------------------------
> 
> "You want fire and glory, 
> 
> but there's a struggle that lies within.
> 
> There's a war in my head,
> 
> and I don't understand,
> 
> how we ended up here."

**Tenacious**

There was a muffle of voices throughout the training grounds, the sandy dirt ground brushed over with dust with every moment a cadet took. Several of the training soldiers were fighting fist-to-fist, some attempting jabs with a wooden knife or simply messing around like fools. Sasha Braus and her friend Conny Springer were sizing each other up in a ridiculous manner, poising their arms in the air and a foot up like idiots. Emilia's icy gaze flooded over them for mere minutes before whisking away in another direction, eyeing the broad shouldered blonde male who was conversing with Eren was sizing her up from afar, a smirk passing over his wide face and punching Eren in the shoulder directly afterward. The viridescent-eyed boy turned to look in her direction, his face coloring up like red roses and his ears burning eventually as well. Emilia Martin blinked at them dumbly, watching as Reiner rose a hand and waved in her direction, beckoning her with a crooked tanned finger.

She sighed heavily, wandering over to the duo and stopping in front of them. "You called me over, wanting to learn some pointers or something?" She inquired sarcastically.

Reiner laughed heartily, "No, not exactly. Eren here was judging your form, so I figured he could correct it with some good advice for you." At his words, Eren looked away with an embarrassed groan. Emilia looked between the two with narrowed cold eyes, tapping the blushing brunette on the shoulder sharply. "Something you need to tell me, Eren?"

Eren glanced at her with wide eyes, putting his hands up in surrender as the redhead looked at him with a scrutinizing eye. "I-I just wanted to point out that you're too stiff when you move forward to strike," he explained quickly, his words rushed and stammering. "You could fix it easily, especially with the moves you have that Mikasa learned from you."

"Fighting is easy," Emilia drawled. "It's not about your form, it's about the calculatedness you take on to overcome your opponent." She eyed the wooden knife in Reiner's hand, swiping it from him with a quick hand as he jumped back in surprise. She spun the knife in her hand before allowing it to be gripped firmly by a stern hand, cocking her head to the side as she sized up Eren. "Come at me, and I'll show you."

Eren looked at her uneasily before getting into his previous fighting stance, bringing his fists up in front of him and allowing one of his feet to slide back slowly as he took her into view. She allowed a psychotic grin to overcome her features, slipping her lips into a wide birth as she darted forward with swift movement, launching forward and pushing her fist straight into Eren's stomach; jolting him backward as she used her strength to flip him upside down onto the ground—her arms wrapping around his neck to jostle him onto the dirt gravel ground.

The brunette boy behind her hacked for air, gasping fearfully as the redhead's elbow was positioned firmly at his throat. His eyes were wide and scared, pulse hammering frantically like a scared animal. "My form was stiff, was it?" Emilia murmured snarkily, eyeing the way her lips moved with every words that escaped them. "I understand you worry for my safety, but Yeager, I can take care of myself just fine."

"Where did you learn that move?" A quiet, stoic voice uttered behind the two, snapping Emilia to attention as she rose from the injured boy on the ground. She moved her hazel-blue eyes to the newcomer, examining the blonde girl who had her hair in a bun and sported a hooked nose upon her face. She had a cream hoodie beneath her cadet training jacket, her eyes an icy blue that were uninterested and an expression just as bored. 

"From a dead man." Emilia told her smoothly, her eyes dark and haunted as she spoke the words. "Why?"

As the girl moved forward towards her, Emilia could see that the blonde's hands were shaking and her eyes that appeared far away and closed off had a speck of uneasiness in them. She could tell the girl was caught off guard, her usually composed figure twitchy and shaky. Reiner moved forward from beside Eren's limp figure, catching the blonde by the shoulder with a hushed tone. "Annie, _calm down_. Not here, please."

 _Annie_ shot Reiner Braun a scorching look, biting her lip as she moved forward to confront the scarlet haired girl once more. " _Who_ are you?" She demanded, her icy blue eyes wide and full of weariness.

"Emilia, Emilia Martin. I take it you're Annie Leonhart, the straight-faced girl who never shows emotion." Emilia jested, grinning mockingly at the blonde as she met her gaze. "Why, I ask—are _you_ shaking over me knowing this type of hand-to-hand combat?"

Annie Leonhart swallowed, looking up to Reiner with a question in her eyes. The burly male shook his head harshly, taking the tiny girl by the hand and leading her away from Emilia and Eren. Emilia found the situation odd, Eren rising off of the ground with an overexaggerated groan before hopping up onto his feet beside Emilia. He brushed his messy fringe from his bright eyes, resting an arm over Emilia's shoulders with a laugh. "That was weird, have you ran into Annie before? She's terrifying, honestly."

Emilia frowned. "She didn't seem like her normal self, was it something I did with that move?"

"She's done a move on me like that before," Eren explained shortly. "Maybe she was caught off guard by someone unknown knowing a similar technique to it."

"Why doesn't she interrogate Mikasa, then?" Emilia muttered with crossed arms, "Mikasa does crazy shit all the time, what's the big deal about me?"

"You tell me," Eren murmured, Emilia looking up at his bright gaze as he spoke to her. "How come you know a move that's similar to Annie's, when you grew up apart from their village?"

"My father was good at combat," Emilia growled. "He wasn't just good with making weapons nor equipment for the scouts, he was able to protect himself too. He made sure to teach me everything he learned before the age of eight."

Eren sputtered, "Eight years old? What were you, a superhuman child?"

Emilia laughed, giggling like a cheesy teenager before thumping him in the head, earning a _yowch!_ from the brunette who nurtured the bump she spotted him. "No, no. He wanted to make sure I was able to take care of myself. It got him in trouble with my mother, who was a devil in disguise."

The pair laughed together for a few, messing around on the training grounds as the training continued. Emilia and Eren moved forward throughout the crowd of teenagers, moving towards the space where they would learn to balance with their ODM gear. Several of them were lined up, each being adjusted to their belts and wires respectfully. Emilia was set up beside Mikasa, who balanced limply and unmoving with her wires swinging faintly. The redhead was adjusted to the belt quickly, moving her legs barely to get accustomed to the feeling with the ODM gear. She could hear a couple of shouts from down the line, both girls swiveling their head in the direction of the cursing.

"Dammit, I can do this!" They heard the familiar brunette shout, his face scrunched up in concentration and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Why can't I balance? What's wrong with me?" Armin beside him wore a concerned expression, balancing easily with his ODM compared to the struggling Eren Yeager.

"Eren, you need to relax and focus. Don't wiggle too much, or you'll fall." Armin instructed, wide oceanic hues searching for any sign of issue with his friend's belt and harnesses. Eren cast Armin a glare, shaking his head harshly while the brown fringe fell into his eyes. "I'm trying, I think there might be something wrong with me! Everyone else is doing just fine—why, why can't I—"

As the brunette bit his tongue and lost his balance, his head hurtled towards the rocky ground with a hard _smack!_

Eren spit blood, shaking his head out of the daze as he attempted to move himself up off the rocky dirt. Mikasa and Emilia were being released from their wires, the two moving quick on their feet along with Armin to reach the boy. Mikasa sat beside Eren, lifting one of his arms up over her shoulders as she and Armin carried him away from the hysterical laughter and disappointed stares from both cadet and teachers.

"If I can't adjust to the ODM gear, how am I supposed to take out the titans?" Emilia heard Eren harshly bite out, shoving off Mikasa and Armin's grip as he stood shakily on his own feet. He let out a whine of frustration, digging his nails into his air and raking out some of the spare strands. Emilia moved to his side, flicking him in the forehead with an index finger as she met the glare of the frustrated boy.

"It doesn't help to beat yourself up, nor shove away the help that you receive." She chided him angrily, grabbing one of his tanned larger hands and putting her hand over it with a firm grip. "We are all human here, aren't we? We can't help the mistakes we make that are inevitable. The tasks we take to keep moving forward, that's what we can control. Everyone here has emotions, and that's alright. It's part of life, whether you like it or not."

"Yes, you need to master the ODM gear in order to complete the training and be able to move around in the air around the titans. You need the swords, their sharp blades to slice their napes and allow those titans to perish in their dying smoke. They may be taller, larger, altogether bigger and more adjusted to death and war than us—but we have the weaponry and equipment to slay them and put an end to their endless madness that marks the world like an never ending nightmare.

"You need to keep going, no matter what happens. You can't just give up and let the world walk all over you like you're their slave. We aren't slaves, are we? We weren't born in this world to stay inside a cage and wallow inside it, were we? We were made to fight back against the monsters that plague our world, not succumb to them and allow them to take what's rightfully ours." Emilia shouted, a hand each resting on one of Eren's cheeks as she spoke. Eren was shaking beneath her grasp, his skin hot to the touch as her words hit him like a hammer. She could tell her speech reached him, from the way his hands rolled into fists and the determined look in his eye as he rose his head to meet her fiery gaze.

Eren lowered her hands from his face, his grip on her light but endearing as he stroked her wrists and moved over them with his thumbs as he spoke. "Thank you, Mia." He murmured, the nickname that was so new to her allowing surprise to light her fascinating eyes. "You always know what to say, when I'm like this."

She smiled faintly, pressing her forehead to his and humming softly. "We're all in this together, you hear? You're not alone in this battle, you never will be." Eren nodded against her, opening his eyes with the familiar light in them whirring to life. "Let's get some dinner now, shall we?"

Armin and Mikasa laughed behind them, clearly letting Emilia deal with the situation due to her advice and calculation that was undeniably inspiring. They walked up beside the two, following the brunette and redhead to the cabin where the food would be served as dusk yawned it's rays in the sky. The pinks and oranges blended together easily as the sun fell into the mouth of the sky, stars twinkling faintly as the four moved their way to their destination.

As Eren pushed open the wooden door, there were eyes on the four wonders instantly. Some were snickering, talking in hushed whispers about his accident prior that day. His hair was a mess, ruffled and sticky with sweat from the effort he had attempted with his ODM equipment. Armin, Mikasa, and Emilia flanked him like guard dogs as they pushed him forward to the corner bench that they had previously claimed.

Mikasa settled down beside Eren, murmuring to him about eating correctly and not starving himself as they yammered on beside each other. Armin and Emilia were sat beside each other, the blonde munching on a loaf of bread and scooting some soup towards the redhead with a smile. Emilia nodded to Armin with an appreciative look, scooping a spoonful of delicious soup in her mouth and swallowing the juices with a relieved sigh. She could feel the burning eyes of several judgmental cadets on her and Eren, as well as Armin and Mikasa who were peeking at them from the corner of their eyes. There was a hush among the cadets, the staring getting too intense until someone spoke up among the gossiping teens.

"Eren Yeager, the boy wonder who wants to take out all the titans. How are you going to do that, if you can't manage a simple thing like the ODM gear?" A snotty voice drawled, his chestnut hair spiky and prominent above his horse-like face. Emilia shot a glare at Jean Kirstein, a murderous intent in her eyes as the boy continued to back-talk the brunette who sat across from her digging his nails into the wood of the table with utmost determination to not give into his annoyance. "A titan should surely swallow you up, the moment it saw you. Hell, if you can't get your balance down and your brains out of the mud, you're stew for those bastards."

Emilia shook her head at Eren, who was grinding his nails harshly into the wood now as biting his lip as blood streamed down his mouth in a thin stream. Mikasa shook Eren's shoulder, muttering a firm: "No, Eren, please don't—"

The brunette boy bolted out of his seat, marching towards the annoying male and spitting in his face: "Tough talk for someone who wants to hide like a wounded dog inside the interior, what are you gonna do, huh Jean? Sit and look pretty and look at your nails for a few hours?"

Jean scowled, gripping Eren's shirt collar in his hand and yelling in his face with utmost ravenous anger. "It is an honor to serve the King, you asshole! Why don't you just sit down and accept defeat, huh? You're going to end up raising cattle instead if you don't fix your stupidity during training!"

Eren's eyes flashed like lightning at the hold Jean had on his shirt, an idea flashing in his mind and flickering to life as he grasped Jean Kirstein by the chest of his undershirt, kicking him in the balls and then flipping him onto the ground. Jean let out a pained groan, falling onto the wooden floor with a gasp. Annie Leonhart perked up her head from one of the benches, surprise lighting in her usual closed off gaze as well as her comrades Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover beside her. A smile painted Reiner's tough features, a mumble of: "Learned from the best, didn't he?" He chortled out a harsh laugh, the teens around all of them shocked at the circumstances. Emilia broke forward from her side beside Armin, grasping Eren's hand before the door cracked open and a deadly golden eye peered through the crack.

"I heard a bump, is something going on in there?" Keith Shadis' gravelly voice boomed, scaring the 104th cadets shitless and they were all shocked still where they stood or sat in their seats. Mikasa, their savior, rose her hand from beside Sasha Braus who was gripping onto her shirt in horror opened her mouth to explain the situation.

"Sasha passed gas, it was horrid. A lot of us were astounded by the smell, that's all." Mikasa's smooth voice uttered, causing Sasha to gape at her in astonishment before Keith Shadis let out a grunt of: "Again? Dammit, just clean up after yourselves before you leave."

The commander closed the door, the teens sighing in relief whilst Sasha Braus pleaded with Mikasa and the girl shoved a loaf of bread in her mouth to quiet her, her stoic gaze sliding over to where Emilia was gripping Eren's hand in the doorway. Eren looked to Emilia with an unreadable expression, taking her hand in stride and leading her to where Reiner and his friends sat with ease. Eren slammed his hands down on the table, looking between Conny, Reiner, Bertholdt, and several others.

"Teach me how to work with the ODM gear," Eren demanded, looking between the three boys with pleading eyes. Conny held in a snicker, earning an elbow jab from Bertholdt before the soft-spoken ravenette replied. "We can give you some tips, but it's up to you on how you deliver the help you receive."

"Help him, Reiner." Emilia growled out, meeting the eye of the large male with a glint in her eye. "You owe me, for being a dipshit the day I met you."

Reiner laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck before nodding. "I'll see what we can do, we'll talk in the cabins tonight. Armin can come, he's intelligent, right?"

Eren nodded quickly, looking to Emilia with a relieved smile. It seemed like Eren had found his teachers, and it wasn't long before the moon weaned it's high and the trainees fled to their respectable cabins.

* * *

Wind flowed through his hair in a soft _whish_ , his steps even with the rest of the group that were leading him and Armin through the dark woods with a faintly lit lantern in their hold. Bertholdt and Reiner were large men, their shoulders dwarfing by their size and having an intimidatingly vibe. Reiner's eyes were caught in the gleam of the moonlight, their emerald capes around the boys covering their shoulders and flowing down their backs in a warming matter. Green grass rustled beneath their shoes as they walked, avoiding large rocks and dips so they wouldn't lose their step. Eren Yeager had a thorough thought process whirring in his mind endlessly, a frown slipping over his mouth as it worked downward into a scowl. His thoughts were so adamant, his heart hammering along his ribcage as he swallowed shakily. His hands were twitching and wet with sweat as they trotted up the hill, the only light being the lantern that Bertholdt held above his and Reiner's faces. The light illuminated the valley as they reached the top of the hill, moonlight coming into view as it draped itself across the beautiful lake in a stunning ray. The clouds above the fascinating body of water were moving slowly, carefully as their bodies shaped like messy pillow-shapes and carried themselves across the valley. Their emerald capes flowed against their bodies with the wind mussing their edges, the back of the cape moving up with the strength of the wind.

His brunette hair was messy, evidentially due to the amount of wind that brushed the hill along with the forest trees below them. There was the smell of pine that carried up to them from the air that rustled the tree's branches below. Eren could feel an inner piece due to the aesthetic feel of the lake below, it's waves twinkling with the ray of sunlight that glinted down from the moon. The mountains surrounding the valley were tipped with bits of snow, rocky parts tumbling down into the forest floor. The view took his breath away, puffs of air releasing from his lungs as his sea-green eyes examined the view in front of him. Armin came up behind him, the blonde's hair flowing easily as they took in the sight beneath them. Reiner and Bertholdt turned to Eren, sporting identical starry grins as they spoke. "We come up here, and we see this, it's like freedom—y'know? We don't have many tips, Eren. Just do what you think is right, and you shouldn't have any trouble. Make sure your belt is correctly organized, as well as your harness."

"Use your flexibility," Bertholdt added. "I'm sure Emilia can give you a few other tips, too."

Eren laughed, a free and excitable laugh that carried through his lungs and echoed around the valley like a hymn. "Yeah, I can do that." He assured them with his happy grin, turning to Armin who gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

The four gave a brief look at the lake before heading back, energy alight in their steps as they carried the lantern back to the camp where their sleeping cadets resided. Eren lowered his hood as they reached the strip to his and Armin's cabin, waving to Reiner and Bertholdt as they made their way into the doorway. Eren settled inside with ease, dropping his head against the pillow and being knocked out like a light.

As the sun rose and the birds tweeted their merry song, Emilia stirred from her rest and tiredly blinked her eyes open, slipping off her cotton bunk and slipping her hand into her bag to take her journal out and scribble sketches with her charcoal stick. As she brushed and stroked the stick along the page, creativity came to light and her hands found a calm pattern to mark along the page with a clear face in mind. She outlined the hair, how it flowed neatly past the figure's ears and it's lovely locks were straight and neat. She drew the eyes in their wide birth, making the eyelashes highlight the features of the person's eyes and making sure to add the radiant smile that illuminated their face like a beacon. The sun was peaking high in the sky by the time the sketch was done, her eyes widening in realization as she recognized who she was drawing.

"Is that Eren?" A nonchalant voice murmured above her, jolting the redhead out of her trance with a cry. "Sorry, Mia. Didn't mean to spook you." Mikasa lowered herself down from the bunk above her friend, kneeling in front of her and looking over the journal thoughtfully. "It compliments his features well, he looks pretty."

Emilia's face colored instantly before she snatched the journal away from Mikasa, shoving it back into her bag with a huff. "We're going to be late for training, y'know. Why are you awake so late?"

Mikasa yawned, opening on eye at her as she did so. "You were mumbling in your sleep, was hard to stay asleep due to that." Emilia lowered her head in shame, looking away from the ravenette with sad eyes. "I-I've had nightmares, for a while." She told her slowly, raising her head as Mikasa put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"It's not your fault, you know?" Mikasa told her gently. "You can't change what happened to them, it was out of your control." Emilia nodded at her words, flashing her an appreciative smile before rising to her feet to get dressed. "I appreciate it, Mika. Really, it's just hard to get it out of my head."

Mikasa sighed softly, pulling her jacket on over her undershirt and wrapping her scarlet scarf around her smoothly as she spoke. "It's the trauma, Eren has had nightmares too for a while. You two should talk about it, maybe it'll help you get to an understanding of it."

"Of the nightmares?" Emilia asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "How would it help?"

The ravenette cast her a look. "Just talk to him, Mia. You'll feel better about things afterwards, okay?" Emilia nodded to her concerned friend, fixing her red hair into a loose ponytail before following the muscular female out the door and into the training grounds. The sun's rays were beaming down on them all as Eren Yeager was rustled into his assigned wires, belts being buckled correctly and harness being attached accordingly. His eyes were wide with emotion, a concentrated nick to his forehead as he focused on balancing in the air. His legs hung loosely below him as he sat there in the air swinging from side to side, a triumphant grin overcoming his face as he realized what he was doing was _working_.

"I-It's working!" Eren stammered out, shocked and amazed at how he was effortlessly balancing in the air thanks to the ODM gear working. Though, as he said this, the wire whirred as he fell forward. Eren let out a gasp of surprise before there was a shout of _bring him down, please_.

Keith Shadis moved forward to Eren's side, unbuckling the belt from his waist and looking it over with a concentrated scowl. His dark eyes examined the broken clasp, shaking his head scornfully as he summoned someone to come with a replacement for the young Yeager boy. Keith Shadis replaced the belt around Eren's waist firmly, the boy whooping with joy as he was able to balance correctly and levitate in the air by himself as easily as it should have been the first time.

He beamed wide, eyes locking onto Mikasa's with a whoop of victory shouting from his lungs. Armin was at Mikasa's side, Emilia to his left as the blonde and ravenette whispered to each other. "He's happy he doesn't have to leave me," Mikasa told him. Although, Emilia and Armin blinked at her dully—already knowing that Eren was just relieved that he wouldn't stay below his adopted sister's achievements after all. He was free to train further, free to be able to take out the titans he so sought to vanquish.

The cadets all laughed and cheered for Eren Yeager, every trainee excited to see the wonder boy achieve victory over his once mistake. Keith Shadis looked on the moment with a troubled expression, Emilia's eyes sliding to the whiskered commander's face with a calculative frown. Something in the commander's gaze was confusing to her, and as Keith rolled his eyes to meet their's, the commander's eyes widened at the narrowed eyes that faced his with undermining protectiveness over Eren Yeager.

Emilia would make sure Eren Yeager would succeed in his wish, no matter what stood in her path. The boy opened her eyes to a world of wonders and frighteningly warmth that surged through her like a strike of lightning, and clearly—Emilia Martin would stop at nothing to make sure he was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update as frequently as I can, will have to take breaks some days though!


	4. Turmoil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As their training comes to a close for the graduating cadets, a threat becomes heavy on their shoulders and shocks the 104th cadets and sets off an inner turmoil across them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, I am here again with another chapter for Pandemonium! Yes, this is the chapter where things kick off and become terrifying as well as depressing. Lots of death, lots of titan munching, you know the drill. Hope you enjoy, I will update as much as I can this week <3 [I did replace someone in the top 10—obviously Christa with Emilia in the group—it makes sense for the story!]
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> "If I had a heart I could love you,
> 
> If I had a voice I would sing,
> 
> After the night when I wake up,
> 
> I'll see what tomorrow brings."

**Turmoil**

Moonlight gleamed onto their faces as the 104th cadets stood shoulder-to-shoulder amongst their assigned lines, Keith Shadis in front of them all with his arms crossed behind his back, his whiskered dark face grim and stern as he looked amongst those he trained with an unreadable expression. Mikasa Ackerman was one of the most promising cadets, with the way she was quick on her feet and never hesitated in any situation. She was fast with the ODM gear, barely breaking a sweat with her cool and calculative decisions. Mikasa would make a promising soldier, especially when she always put others before her first instead of being selfish—even if that only including Eren or her friends known as Emilia Martin and Armin Arlert. Eren was an entirely different situation, impressive in hand-to-hand combat but lacking with ODM, though Emilia and Mikasa did their best to teach him the roots that they mastered without a thought. Eren Yeager was a strange boy, his rage and vengeance taking hold over his consciousness especially when it came to those he loves or any subject about the titans. Although, there was one certain person who was able to calm his inner beast no matter the situation—otherwise known as the icy moody redhead known as Emilia Martin.

Emilia was a confusing cadet, always had been from the start. She hid her emotions effortlessly when it came to it, especially if there was someone that wanted to use her weaknesses against her. The inner turmoil that spun inside her proved difficult to tame, she often put all her feelings away locked inside a chest with a padlock. She was second best to Mikasa, the ravenette and redhead sharing a sisterly bond as they trained together throughout the years. Where she held intelligence with fighting, Mikasa taught her the skills she had with the ODM gear. The two were often together when they were assigned training, whether it be through exercises or the drills they had to run thanks to Keith Shadis. The redhead was a terrifying girl full of unknown mysteries, and it seemed when she was enraged she showed a psychotic and ruthless side to her.

Armin Arlert was the glue to the four teenagers, his kindness and academic capabilities that breathed wisdom into the ground being a perfect middle ground for the other three. Where he lacked in combat and ODM, he picked up the slack for his brains and strategies. The blonde had plenty to offer, with the wondrous look in his baby blue eyes that glowed with ideas. He might be a small boy with not much to offer when it came to fighting or movement in the air, but there was enough in his shell to gain notice from the higher ups including the Garrison or the Scout Regiment.

Plenty of the other cadets held promise: including Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, Jean Kirstein, Marco Bodt, and many others. Although, Keith Shadis knew exactly who to pick between the cadets—even if that meant excluding others who could have placed a definite position in the top ten.

"Today is the day where you all graduate, it has been a long five years of hard work and training—you all have proved that you each have a lot to offer whether it be for the Scout Regiment, the Garrison, or the Military Police—every one of you has proved you deserve a spot in their ranks." Keith's voice boomed across the field, each cadet's eyes trained on their commander with unstaggering attention. Mikasa shifted next to Emilia uneasily, her charcoal eyes worried before Emilia tapped her shoulder and smiled gently at her with a knowing look in her eye, telepathy from the two seeming to come to fruition. _Eren will be among us, don't worry Mika._ Emilia mouthed quickly, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before the ebony-haired nodded to her before facing forward with a more relaxed posture.

Keith Shadis continued on with his speech, Emilia staring straight forward while a pair of bright eyes burned into the back of her skull. Her arms tingled with goosebumps from the boy's gaze, feeling her ears redden with nervousness. The man started calling for the top ten, his eyes hardened and stoic as he announced them accordingly.

"Sasha Braus," he called with a booming voice, the brunette pony-tailed girl's eyes widening before transforming her face into a wide smile as she broke forward to the front. "Conny Springer," he continued, the shaved-headed boy grinning wide as he marched his way to Sasha's side. "Marco Bodt." Keith announced next, the freckled teen breaking forward with a weary look on his face. 

"Jean Kirstein, Eren Yeager—" Keith growled out next, the two boys blinking in surprise before moving forward throughout the crowd. Eren turned his head to look at the redhead in front next to his adopted sister, a soft smile on his face when he met her eyes. She colored considerably, glancing away with an embarrassed huff as the cheeky boy moved to the front. "Annie Leonhart, Bertholdt Hoover." The next two teens moved up swiftly, Bertholdt holding a grimace and Annie a stoic expression like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Reiner Braun, Emilia Martin, Mikasa Ackerman." The commander announced the final top three, surprise blinking in Emilia's narrowed eyes before she followed her sisterly companion and stood next to her with a proud smile on her face. The top ten hammered their fists against their chest in a salute, stern expressions weaving throughout the ten quickly as they took in the burden that would soon be carried on their shoulders like a large boulder threatening to tear them down. Emilia watched as the moon beamed on them brightly from above, it's wide circular shape creating a ray of light amongst the cadets below. "This is your top ten, each of you have trained hard to get here and worked for it throughout your training for years. Wear your honored place well, do not disappoint, you are graduating soon. Keep your wits about you before we go to Trost District in the morning." Keith Shadis told them accordingly, clearing his throat before adding: "Now, disperse to dinner. Don't be late to your cabins tonight, you all have a long day ahead of you."

The cadets chuckled uneasily, following their friends through the field and back towards the designated cabin that beamed candle light through the crack below the door. Emilia fell in beside Eren and Mikasa, Armin on her left as the four made their way to dinner. Emilia let out a sigh of relief, shrugging her shoulders back and cracking her knuckles as she walked beside Eren and Armin, Mikasa casting her an amused look. "Relieved to be done, huh?" Mikasa mused, Emilia nodded to her with a wicked grin on her freckled face.

"Although, I fear everything has hardly begun—" Emilia began whilst biting her lower lip. "I have a bad, sinking feeling about Trost tomorrow. Something doesn't feel quite right, everything is moving far too smoothly." She uttered worryingly aloud to her friends.

Eren jabbed her shoulder roughly to get her attention as she glanced out of the corner of her eye to meet him. "Don't worry so much, you always do this." He growled out, jostling her red hair in an affectionate manner. "Focus on the present, not what's ahead. Stop trying to carry the world in your hands, Mia. You can only do so much on your own."

Emilia frowned in thought, shuffling her feet along the dirt ground as they reached their destination. The cabin was awake with laughter and joy, the cadets inside swigging their drinks down and stuffing food into their faces. As they entered the cabin, Conny and Sasha sprung out of their seat to meet Emilia and the others. "Congratulations on being in the top ten, Mia!" Conny wrapped an arm around the red head's shoulder, a bright eyed boy behind him glaring _hard_ at the shaved headed boy. "You saved our ass when it came to teamwork with the ODM, I still remember you saving Sasha from falling straight down on her face!"

Sasha sputtered out in defense, her cheeks coloring: "No, no. It wasn't _that_ bad, I swear!" She then turned to Emilia with her big amber eyes, grabbing her by the shirt collar and whining into the redhead's chest. "Yet, you still helped me! Thank you, are you some form of goddess?" Emilia pushed the brunette away with a soft chuckle, shaking her head good naturedly. "I think you should be asking Christa that, Sasha." She jested with a small smile.

A hard chest pressed against Emilia from behind, warmth surrounding her like a blanket as the owner of the warmth pushed Conny's arm off of her shoulders roughly. Emilia glanced up, meeting Eren Yeager's glare that was staring daggers at Conny Springer. She could feel the anger radiating through the boy's chest, and stepped into him and reached up on her toes to whisper in his ear quickly—"Eren, _calm down_. I'm okay." She told him, the angry boy slowly relaxing his posture before bringing the redhead to him and latching onto her hand. She stuffed an inward shout of protest inside her lungs, letting the jealous bright eyed boy drag her to where they usually sat. Mikasa and Armin followed behind her, a frown on Mikasa's face and a knowing look on Armin's. Emilia sat beside the brunette boy, his eyes narrowed onto hers with shaky hands. She gathered his hands in hers gently, shaking her head as dark scarlet hair fell into her face and hid her eyes from his sight.

"I know you're scared," she murmured to him. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? Just because I'm in the top ten along with Mikasa doesn't mean I'm going to disappear."

Eren shook his head frantically, a blush appearing on his face as he protested. "T-That's not it, I just didn't like the way he was touching you so much."

Armin snorted beside Mikasa, the ravenette beside him punching him in the shoulder and receiving an _ow!_ Her charcoal eyes met the blonde's, a hidden meaning in them she shook her head at him. Emilia glanced over at the pair, raising an eyebrow as they dug into their food while averting their eyes from hers. Eren gained her attention again as he spoke, rubbing her knuckles in his hands absent-mindedly. "Things are going to change tomorrow, and I know you and Mikasa are way ahead of me skill wise, but I want you to know you can rely on me too." He rushed out.

Emilia opened her mouth to reply before a familiar under-cut haired teen strode over with a grin on his cocky face. Marco Bodt stood next to him nervously, flashing a apologetic smile at Emilia as Jean Kirstein opened his mouth—"How is she supposed to rely on you when you plan to be a suicidal blockhead when it comes to the titans?" Jean bit out, Eren snapping his head up at his words with a snarl as Jean continued his rant. "You tell your sister, Armin, and Emilia that they can rely on you too. _How_ would they do that, if the first thing you do when you see the titans is become reckless and get _devoured_ by one, huh?" He bit out, Eren's hands removing from Emilia's immediately as he stood up to face Jean head on.

"You're one to talk," Eren said snarkily. "All you care about is getting inside the interior where your idiotic ass will just sit and go about your days with leisurely walks around Wall Sina. You're so _selfish_ , you don't see what's right in front of you. You could give more to the world, but you'd rather waste it by holing up inside a _fucking wall_."

Jean launched forward, meeting Eren in a headlock as the two bashed at each other. Eren wrapped his arms around Jean's neck, an enraged snarl breaking from his lips with a yell as he hurled him backwards towards the cabin wall. Eren scrambled to his feet as Jean shakily stood up, the Yeager boy putting his arms up in his fighting stance with a psychotic look in his bright eyes. Mikasa stood up from her seat besides Armin, Conny and Sasha rushing over to help. Emilia jolted out of her seat, springing to action as she moved in between the two boys with a wild look in her hazel blue eyes. Mikasa was being held down by Armin, while Conny and Sasha watched wide-eyed as Emilia put herself between the two boys with a deadly glare.

She put her arms out between them, inhaling sharply before speaking. "Do you two always have to be this childish?" She spat, setting her hands down at her sides as she spoke to the two panting boys. "We're all cadets, all the same soldiers. We're all on the same side, so _please_ , for the love of _God_ —stop acting like fucking idiots and _grow the hell up_."

The two were speechless at her words, their stances relaxing as Jean scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed look on his face. Eren looked at her with a wounded look on his face, his hands falling to his sides limply. "She's right, we should just stop." Jean muttered weakly, meeting Eren's crestfallen gaze with an apologetic smile. "We need to work together, like she says. We go to Trost tomorrow, and I'd rather have you on my side than not be."

"You're bipolar as fuck then," Eren grumbled. He shook his head, accepting the hand shake of respect that Jean offered him with slight reluctance. "You're right though, and so is she." Emilia chuckled at their approach to peace, watching as Jean nodded to him before following Marco back to their respected seats. Emilia gently grabbed Eren's hand, his head brightening up a bit as she let him back to where Mikasa and Armin were seated. Conny and Sasha were standing next to their table, speaking to a rather enraged Mikasa as the two showed back up.

Mikasa raised her head as she saw Emilia, her eyes taking in Eren beside her with a relieved sigh. "I can't believe you started another fight, Eren."

Eren colored considerably. "He pissed me off, what did you expect?"

"For you not to act like a pissy child," Armin retorted sassily, peering up at Emilia from where his chin rested on his hand. "Good job making them stop their manly contest, by the way."

Emilia laughed, "No problem. I learned from the best, right?" She winked at the blonde, Armin blushing good naturedly at the compliment. Emilia scooted next to Eren as Conny plopped down beside her, Sasha sitting next to Mikasa and reaching for one of the spare bread loafs that Mikasa was nurturing. "So, you're not giving up on going to the scouts, even though you could join the military police since you got in the top ten?" Conny asked Eren quizzically, eyeing the cautious look he shot the smaller boy until Emilia leaned against Eren's side lazily.

"Why would I change my mind?" Eren uttered with an confused look. "Nothing has changed, I want to avenge my mother's death and clear out the monsters that enrapture the world."

"Yeah, but you could stay with the military police and do it from afar." Sasha inquired through a muffled bite of bread, Mikasa pushing her face away when she tried to reach for more. "I mean, why risk your life when you could do plenty inside the walls?"

"Because he's not afraid of dying," Emilia answered for him. "He wants to do what he sought out to do from the very beginning—take out all the titans and get freedom for our people." Eren blinked down at the redhead who leaned against him with an appreciative smile, raking his fingers through her hair as she hummed contently. "What she said, basically." Eren told Conny with a sheepish grin, the redhead's eyes beside him drooping tiredly.

As the dinner came to a close and the cadets walked back to their respected cabins, Eren and Emilia fell in step beside each other before they reached their bunks. "Can you do something for me?" Eren uttered beside Emilia softly. She turned to look at him before nodding, searching his eyes with a weary expression. "Whatever you do, don't take unnecessary risks." He mumbled, Emilia frowning in thought at the request.

"Like, don't be reckless—or don't die?" She jested half-heartedly, softening at the guarded worried expression Eren sported on his face. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Eren. You're the one always telling me not to worry, now look at you." Emilia told him, coming to a stop and tilting her head at him with a look of defeat. "Come here, Eren."

The brunette boy numbly walked forward to her, confused by her request. She rolled her eyes with amusement before wrapping her arms around him in a hug, giggling as he pressed his face into her hair when winding his toned and muscled arms around her tiny body. She felt the boy shake as he held her, wet tears soaking her hair as she held onto him for dear life.

"I'm not going to die, Eren." She whispered into his chest, the boy's emotions crumbling before her as she felt the burdens he carried on his shoulders fall completely from their wall and open the cage to his heart. She pulled her head away from his chest and placed her hands on his cheeks as she spoke, "You made me strong, remember? So did Mikasa, Armin—everyone that we love has got us this far."

Eren's bright eyes bored into hers as she spoke, his heart holding onto every word that uttered out of her rosy lips. She smiled cheekily, her freckles dusted with a soft blush. 

"Tomorrow will be fine, okay?"

* * *

The sky was a clear pacific blue, the clouds puffy and white merging with each other as the cadets above the wall tended to the cannons sporting bored expressions on their sweat-soaked faces. Eren Yeager was fixing his boot laces half-heartedly as he knelt down, several trainees around him buzzing with excitement for their task. Sasha and Conny were bickering amongst each other, the girl was holding a thing of meat with a hungry look on her face. Eren looked at them over his shoulder, standing up with a grimace as he saw what the pony-tailed girl was holding in her grasp. She had a demented look on her face, murmuring things like _we can share it, there will be plenty of livestock once we take back the walls_! Eren shook his head at her as she offered him some meat, grinning as he looked around the wall at his comrades.

"Humanity is taking their home back," He announced with a confident grin sporting his features. "We're going to win back our freedom, starting today!"

Conny, Sasha, Thomas, Mina, and several others gathered around him with a nod. Eren turned towards the field beyond the wall, eyes wide and bright before a bolt of lightning struck the ground and an enormous red and pink face appeared above them with a nasty glare. The Colossal Titan had appeared, it's large eyes looking down on Eren and his comrades with a gigantic scowl. The gas that protruded from it's body was hot and scorching, pushing them of the wall as they planted their wires into the stone with panicked expressions. Eren held an angry maniacal grin as he looked up at the wall, Sasha catching the foot of a nearby comrade as she shot her wire into his leg. Conny shouted at Eren, "Eren, is that the Colossal Titan you were talking about?"

"What do you think, Conny?" Eren shouted back, panting for air as he shot his wire up high onto the wall. "I'm going to take it out, humanity is going to gain it's freedom back, no matter the cost!"

As his wire whirred with effort and his ODM gear shot gas to pull him forward on top of the wall, Eren glared at the gigantic titan with rage in his eyes. "Hey, it's been fifteen years since that day." He told the titan, it's large eyes zoning in on him as it prepared to move it's arm towards him to knock him off like a mere bug. Eren launched into action, using his ODM gear to guide himself along the Colossal Titan's arm and twisting around it till he could catch sight of the nape. "Die!" He snarled out, slashing his sword across the nape before the hot and scorching smoke protruding from the Colossal whipped into his face, causing the boy to protect his face by crossing his arms in front of it with a shout of pain. "Dammit, my wire can't hold! It's too damn hot," He realized—watching as the smoke that surrounded the titan disappeared along with the titan. Eren let out a shout of surprise, launching one of his wires thankfully onto top of the wall as he pulled himself halfway up.

"Eren! Did you kill it?" Conny shouted down at him, Sasha and the others at his side with worried expressions on their faces.

"No! It's like that day all those years ago," Eren told him in defeat, disbelief in his bright eyes. "He appeared, and just like that he was gone!"

"Eren, get up here! We're getting new orders." Conny said, watching as the brunette launched himself up on top of the wall and stopped beside him.

"You all have new orders, report to your groups accordingly! Operation reclaim Trost has begun." A thin soldier told them, the cadets sprinting after their commanders with their hearts pounding hard in their chests.

All Eren could think about was the hole in the wall, and as he raced across the walls of Trost, he could see the grinning titans below stumbling into the district with hungry eyes and nude bodies. He looked around at the people crowding in the district as they arrived, a scared looking garrison commander with a large bushy beard and whiskered eyes barking orders at a familiar redhead who looked tiny in comparison to the soldiers around her. His eyes widened as he realized it was Emilia, Mikasa beside her as a man with long blonde hair and a shaved face was talking to the two girls frantically.

"You two are on the front, you come with our elite soldiers." Ian Dietrich barked his orders at them, Emilia looked at Mikasa with wide eyes. "The E-Elite? Wouldn't I be more useful if I was—" Mikasa was saying, before Eren brushed his way in front of her.

"Mikasa, you are needed on the elite squad. I will be fine, you are needed elsewhere! Just please," He gnawed on his bottom lip nervously, looking between the redhead and his adopted sister with pained eyes. "Please be careful, don't do anything reckless. I'm looking at you, Emilia."

Emilia snorted, relaxing now since Eren wasn't entirely out of control it seemed. The situation wasn't as dire as she thought, since everything was going smoothly. "I have your sister to keep me in check, remember? Now go join Armin, his timid ass is waiting for you."

The brunette boy laughed, looking over his shoulder at the panicked Armin Arlert who was stumbling towards him in horror. Emilia pushed Eren along towards the blonde, waving before disappearing with her sisterly friend who glanced over her shoulder at Eren with a restrained look of sadness.

As Eren left to join Armin as well as Thomas Wagner and Mina Carolina, Emilia jogged at Mikasa's side as they followed Ian Dietrich along the tiled roofs to their position. Emilia pressed the gas so it spurred fast, zooming next to Mikasa as the two used their skills to align together. Thanks to Mikasa's helpful advice throughout their training , Emilia and Mikasa were a wonder duo when they were together. The two girls whipped past several soldiers, zoning in on two abnormals that ran with their arms up in the air without a care in the world. Emilia shot her wire to the back of a blonde one's nape, it's short hair being nicked by her wire as she spun in a circle before slashing her swords deep across the nape whilst the titan fell to it's death below. The redhead laughed in shock, the hunger for more growing as she watched her comrade whizz by her to her own titan and slashing a line across it's pale neck swiftly. Mikasa landed on it's head as it fell, shaking blood from her swords with a disgruntled expression.

Emilia zoomed down to her friend's position, waving a sword as she skidded to a stop in front of her before taking a look around their surroundings. "It seems they're heading for the townspeople, the ones that usually take care of the market and all that shit." Emilia drawled thoughtfully, the raven haired girl above her jumping down to her side with a nod.

"Ackerman! Martin! Stay in your positions, let's go! We need to help the civilians get out to safety." Ian told him, inclining his head in the direction where they were heading to. Emilia nodded to Mikasa, following behind her stoic friend as they whizzed past the tiled buildings. The sky may have been a pale blue that day, but as Emilia and Mikasa made their way to help the civilians, they realized something utterly terrifying.

No one was safe from the titans. No one was invincible. 

The numbness took hold of Emilia, and without a second though—the girl set into motion her calculative and cold demeanor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where shit gets crazy, will update soon!


	5. Cataclysm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia and Mikasa join the Elite Squad in protecting the civilians, and during their time—Eren and Armin undergo a life or death situation. Armin is left alone, Emilia finds him on her own before Mikasa is able to react. Emilia's world crashes down around her, and that is when the chaos erupts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what's about to happen, and it's going to be very painful.
> 
> song listened to during this chapter which was impactful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjGKoT7d8PM
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> "Isn't it lovely, all alone?
> 
> Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
> 
> Tear me to pieces,
> 
> Skin to bone,
> 
> Hello, welcome home."

**Cataclysm**

There was a sharp whirr of wiring as it stuck to a tiled roof before releasing and being stuck into another position, red hair flowing in the wind as she spun around and went in a diagonal to reach the abnormal that was currently occupied with trying to reach the civilians. Mikasa zoomed by the scarlet-haired girl's side, blinking at the vibrant haired girl as they worked together to catch the attention of the absent-minded titan. As Emilia shot her wire to the nape of the titan, she pushed her gas hard and spun in a circle before slashing the titan's nape, allowing it to fall to the ground in a rough landing. Mikasa decided to take on the opposite titan, leaving her sisterly companion to her own tasks and taking off in another direction. Emilia glanced up as she saw Ian Dietrich and the other Elite soldiers follow the ravenette with ease, allowing Emilia to collect her thoughts as she shook the blood off her sword with a disgusted _tch_. As she examined her surroundings, she heard a faint shrill cry in the air, snapping her head up to attention as she heard the sharp wail that echoed over the Trost District like a death call. 

Emilia's eyes were a cold icy blue, her arctic gaze sweeping over the buildings as she eyed the titans that were lumbering towards the direction of the scream. She glanced at the back of Mikasa's ravenette head, Ian Dietrich turning to look over his shoulder just as Emilia shot out in the direction of the wail, his eyes widening as he pulled to a stop beside Mikasa. "Martin, where are you going?" He called, the asian girl beside him looked concerned as Emilia leapt from building to building, using her ODM gear to propel her forward as she gave the gas a kiss and it licked steam to life. 

The whirr of her wires dug into the tiled-roofed buildings, a grinning titan with black hair and hazel eyes turning towards her as it reached it's hand out to grab at the flying cadet, Emilia quickly dodging as she stuck a wire into its shoulder and spun around to the back of it's neck, slicing her blades across the nape as it gave a groan before falling limply to the ground. She leapt from the titan to the building to her side, sprinting against the roof as she followed the shrill cry that echoed off the roofs and spun around the buildings. Her arctic eyes followed the thick steam that stemmed from a fallen titan, a large bearded one beside the dead one that was reaching towards a familiar blonde bowl-cut haired boy. Emilia's eyes widened, her body going into auto pilot as she zoomed forward, grabbing the blonde around the waist and pressing the gas hard as she skidded around the titan's grasp. Armin was limp in her grasp as she parkoured the tops of the buildings, the gray bearded titan following her with a hungry look in its eye.

"Armin, Armin _you deaf bitch_! What happened? _Speak to me, goddammit_!" Emilia demanded, the blonde shakily raising his head as he took in the view around them. His eyes were glassy and dull, the life seemingly drained from them as the redhead skidded around buildings to find them a safe place to stop. His baby blue eyes focused on the grey bearded titan behind them, his mouth opening in a grief-shaken cry. The redhead holding the blonde let out a groan of frustration, digging in her heels into the tiled roof before spurring her gas forward, the steam emitting for it giving a sharp hissing sound as she launched forward in the air, leaving behind the bearded titan with a determined set to her jaw.

"E-Emilia," Armin whispered hoarsely from below her, the redhead glancing down at him briefly before setting her arctic gaze forward and looking for a safe stopping point. "Are you going to tell me why you were simply sitting there while a titan prepared to swallow you whole?" She bit out angrily, the ice in her eyes a shrill cold blue that spiraled with gold in the middle of her iris. Armin was limp in her hold as she came to a stop beside the clock tower, setting the blonde down on the roof and setting him against the wall briskly.

Armin looked up at the redhead with a defeated expression, his vision blurring with hot tears that streamed down his face messily as he wailed out in agony, Emilia looking down at him with a stricken expression as the blonde lowered his head to her knees and slammed his fists down on her thighs repeatedly in an anguished sadness. :Armin, w-why are y-you like this?" She stammered shakily, her eyes dulling as the light faded from them when her blonde friend rose his head to look at her with utmost grief swirling in his icy blues.

"Eren, E-Eren is _gone_." He mumbled out, wailing once more once the words were out of his system. Emilia's entire body froze shock still as the blonde continued to speak, her grasp on the blonde going limp as her arms fell at her sides in a admittance of loss. "Mina Carolina, Thomas Wagner—" Armin forced out shakily, raking his nails through his blonde bangs harshly as he clutched onto his scarlet haired friend in undeniable grief. "Eren Yeager, were all wiped out."

A sharp pain started to unfurl inside Emilia Martin's heart, her tanned hands twitching and coming up to tangle in her hair as she let out of a grief-shaken scream, knives twisting her gut and a large hand coming up to curl around her heart and squeeze it till it popped. Her eyes were watery, the numb feeling returning to her body as she faced the gravity of the situation. She could feel the rage inside her spiraling into a maniac state, forcing the redhead to her feet as the pins and needles travelled up her body like they were curving around her veins. A whirr of wires latched onto the roof they were on, Armin inwardly curling into himself as he sat against the wall where Emilia stood beside. Annie Leonhart's stoic expression widened at the predicament the two were in, Reiner Braun as well as Bertholdt Hoover pulling up beside her with Marco Bodt and Jean Kirstein in turn. The group stared at Armin, whilst Jean walked up to Emilia who was stiff with her gaze pointed towards the ground.

"Em? Emilia?" Jean tried, setting a hand on her shoulder to test if she was functioning properly before the redhead slapped his hand away with an enraged snarl. Her lip curled as she grasped him by the collar of his training regiment jacket, spitting in his face angrily. "Who the hell are you to try and approach me like this?" Emilia growled out, Reiner immediately stepping into separate the two as Emilia returned to her spot beside Armin, hovering overprotectively as the blonde curled in to her leg at his side. Reiner Braun looked between the two sadly, inclining his head to Jean to step away from the two and give them space.

Annie let out a weary sigh, "I take it their squads both got wiped, since it's just the two of them here." She read from the situation clearly, although Emilia's head shot up at her words as she rushed out a few angry words. "Mikasa is alive, Armin's squad was what got wiped out." Emilia corrected her, Armin quivering beside her as the cadets that started to gather around the two spotted gasps of disbelief, Jean looking stricken as well as the others who remembered Eren Yeager as well as the others fondly.

Emilia barely raised her gaze as a familiar shape of ravenette hair burrowed towards them, sheathing her blades at her sides and rushing up to the redhead and blonde in a hurried, scared manner. Mikasa gathered them both into a hug, Emilia twitching psychotically and Armin letting out a soft whimper. "I'm glad you two are okay, where is Eren?" She questioned them with a puzzled expression on her pretty face, her charcoal eyes searching Emilia's eyes that were lifeless and dull. Armin looked at Mikasa with wide, grief riddled teary eyes that told her all she needed to know. Mikasa lowered her head, a shadow casting over her eyes as Emilia and her stood tall beside the grieving blonde and nodded to each other in an understanding.

"Why are none of you moving towards Headquarters?" Mikasa barked at the cadets surrounding them, Jean cringing considerably beside Marco who sported a wounded look. "We can't just sit on our asses, and let the titans devour our people. You all are cowards, all of you are weak." She bit out, each trainee flinching at her words that spoke the honest truth. "I'm strong, stronger than all of you." She pointed her blade at the cadets around her, skipping Emilia since the girl was practically her mini me. Emilia moved to her side, unsheathing her blades as she shrugged her shoulders in a cocky manner. "We're going to go to Headquarters, refill our gas and our blades, and we're going to take Trost back from those bastards." Emilia shouted out, raising her swords and nodding to Mikasa who joined her in sprinting forward, the two sisterly companions launching off the roof with a hiss of their gas and spurring their wires equally forward as they flew past titans in order to reach the HQ.

Armin followed beside Conny, Jean and the others letting out war cries as they followed after their raven queen and scarlet maniac, Sasha and Conny taking position beside Armin who could barely stand up on his own two feet whilst the cadets launched off the roof and headed the way to HQ with a renewed vigor to accomplish their mission.

As the cadets spurred forward over the walls of titans, several got grabbed by their large hands and chewed on like toys. Jean Kirstein looked down with a grimace, choosing to use their deaths as a direction to head further towards the Headquarters with an instilled leadership whirring to life inside him. Marco Bodt sprinted at his side, his freckled face beaming at the under-cut haired male. "You're usually a selfish ass, Jean. You're showing some real leadership qualities today," the ebony-haired boy snarkily commented, Jean gaping at him in turn in a state of shock at being chided by the friendly boy.

Marco let out a sharp laugh, following Jean as the two picked up the slack while Armin and Conny flew behind them with their ODM gear digging into the walls with ease. Mikasa and Emilia were spurring their gas ahead of the shaved-headed boy and the blonde, Armin looking at Mikasa with a shaky concerned expression: "She's going way too fast, she's going to snap Conny." He commented wearily, the ravenette barely hearing him as the last licks of gas spitted out, the ebony-haired girl barreling towards the ground as she skidded down the tiled roof and landed roughly on the ground.

Mikasa shakily gathered herself up onto her knees, unsheathing her blades that were short and dull and looked pathetic in her tiny pale hands. She glanced up above her at the clear blue sky, the white puffy clouds swarming amongst one another as the thud of titans boomed against the ground and in her direction. Her charcoal eyes were full of dull emotion, the pain in them radiating as she thought back on the way young Eren Yeager had tucked the red scarf around her neck and promised her that she would have a home. Her eyes blurred with tears, the sharp pain that echoed inside her heart echoing in her with a soft wail as she rocked herself back and forth on the blood-splattered ground. There was a large, chunky bellied titan thudding towards her as she raised her head in defiance, hearing the sharp yells of _fight, fight, fight!_ that sounded strangely similar to the ravenette in her grief-stricken state.

Eren's words resonated in her ears like a hymn, the determination from his vocal cords that screamed into her mind urging the asian girl to rise to her feet, tears falling down her face as she stood and met the titans head on. The long-haired titan in front of her was around fifteen feet tall, the bellied titan behind her a bit short of height as it stumbled towards her back, the emerald-glowing eyes of the male titan in front of her lurching forward with a gigantic fist and smacking it into the jaw of the chunky titan as Mikasa prepared to attack the two with her small blade.

Her eyes widened in shock as the muscular fifteen-foot tall titan completely ignored her and stomped repeatedly on the titan's nape, letting out a shrill scream that sounded psychotic. His long elongated tongue hung low as he opened his jaw, the muscles on his toned tanned body rippling with every punch as his fists barreled into the titan in a manic rage. Mikasa watched it dumbly, barely hearing the shouts of Conny and Armin hurtling towards her. The bald boy scooped her up around the waist, landing up on the roof above where the crazed titan embarked his anger. Conny and Armin shook Mikasa frantically who was pointing at the tall titan with a shaky pale finger. "He didn't go for me, he went for the other titan. How is that possible?"

Conny glanced over at the messy long-haired titan, the brunette waves that came down to his shoulders and shielded his emerald glowing gaze from their view as the titan crushed the brain of the titan along with it's nape that was sliced open. Conny glanced down at the ravenette that was panting heavily, her circular charcoal eyes honed in on the titan that had saved her life. "Looks like we can use the bastard to our advantage," Conny commented cheekily, grinning at Armin who nodded in understanding with a wide icy blue gaze.

"Sounds like a plan—speaking of, where the hell did Martin go?" Conny asked quizzically, raising his thin eyebrows at the two as their eyes widened in horror at the realization.

* * *

Numbness drilled inside her like a hammer, her body weightless as she flew throughout the air. She knew she didn't have much gas left, much blades left. There was a cruel understanding that dug inside her as she remarked what really was going on inside their messed up world. As the reality set in, her memories coming to surface of the bright-eyed boy who breathed life back inside her. The way he looked after her as if she were his equal, how he always admired her strength and the way she held herself. Eren would always look to Emilia for advice, urging her to learn from his adopted sister to adapt his cunning skills and her radiating strength. Eren Yeager pushed himself into her life like a wild fire, consuming her from the inside and out with the way he looked at her and how his viridescent eyes bore into her with an adoring gaze. She felt the fight return inside her, the disappointment and grief being shoved aside and boiling the will to survive inside her.

As the fire ignited inside her and gave her the will to move, she felt the anxiety web away into a conscious state of mania. The titans were swallowing the buildings around her, and Emilia could barely hear the shouts of terror from her squad mates she had trained several years with, due to the utter numb state her mentality had taken on since listening to the words Armin had shared with her. She could feel her heart in her throat, her pulse pumping loud and chaotic as the wide-jawed titan stomped towards her with a maniacal grin. Emilia ignored the further screams around her, already knowing that some of them were being consumed into a titan's belly and their bodies torn in half for a daytime snack. She inhaled sharply as the grinning titan approaching her reached out with a large, beefy hand—eyeing the hungry look in it's wide brown eyes with a glint in her hazel-blue eyes. She grasped her swords firmly in her hands, waiting for the exact moment to strike with a firm, steady gaze of determination. The world was cruel, although enticing at times with the promise of freedom that Eren Yeager had instilled inside her mind. Pandemonium, it was, and the flash of sea-green eyes in her mind spurred her into movement alas.

She hit the gas as it burst to life, pushing her forward into the air as she sliced her blades up the titan's forearm, blood dripping with it's opened wounds as she twirled around it in a circle. Emilia sliced her blades in a designated angle down it's left arm, cutting it clean off as the titan moaned in pain. Her eyes gleamed a glowing arctic blue, the gold that swam in her eyes coloring her gaze in a psychotic manner. The energy that hummed inside her tore her up in waves, her movements swift and calculated as she cut the right arm off of the titan, it's bellow only a pleasant chime to her ears as she honed on in on the nape, slicing in a direct cut as she sliced the nape and tore the head off in a disturbing manner.

Emilia hit her gas harshly, barreling towards the roof opposite from the corpse of the titan, barely meeting her target as she sprinted alongside the tiled roof with glowing eyes. The glint that gleamed within her icy irises was a call of danger, a promise of utmost terror as she raked her gaze throughout the district. She honed in on the titans that were pressing their face into the opened windows of the Headquarters, a hurried step to her pace now as she dove forward into the air.

A large shape was moving quickly, and she barely stopped herself short as she clutched onto the muscle-toned back of the titan. She felt the drum of a pulse beneath her fingers as she clung for dear life to the back of the titan's neck, its fist rushing towards the titans that pressed their faces into the windows and hurtling the titans into a wall. Emilia let out a shocked gasp as she shook her head atop the titan, the emerald glowing eyes of it turned to attention as it felt her on its shoulder. Emilia met the eyes of the male titan, the rage in its eyes honing in on her cold eyes before it stopped short with a wide-eyed look. Emilia panted, inhaling air sharply through her lungs as she prepared to meet death.

The titan tilted its head at her, as if it recognized the fiery-haired girl and stopped it's movements with a halt. Jean Kirstein, Conny Springer, and several other cadets peered out the window in astonishment. As the male titan met her gaze, he glanced forward when a tall, nimble skinny blonde titan moved towards them in a calm manner.

Emilia darted to the roof beside the attacking titan, his long brunette tresses bouncing wildly as he let out a enraged scream and stormed towards the nimble abnormal. The blonde titan screamed back at the brunette one, barely expecting the strong and heavy damage that the attack titan would inflict as it slammed its fist into the blonde, knocking it back into the wall and crumbling the building to rubble. The muscled, tanned and toned brunette titan snarled down at it, bashing it's foot into it's head and crushing it's nape as steam flew out of it in an undeniable admittance to its death.

From her spot above the roof, Emilia watched the enraged titan in utmost confusion before she heard the familiar yell of a horse-faced boy: "Emilia, _Mia_! Get your ass over here, you suicidal idiot!" She swallowed a warbled gasp, darting towards the HQ with the last spurts of gas from her ODM gear and landing in Jean's grasp as he gathered the scarlet-haired girl to him. She was shaking, her hands trembling and her eyes watery as she looked up at him with remorse in her hazel-blue eyes.

"Sorry for being a bitch," she apologized weakly. Jean laughed softly, shaking his head as he pulled her arms up and gathered the scarlet-haired girl to her feet. "We need to take care of the gas and blades, right? Just like Mikasa said." He told her hoarsely, eyeing the brunette titan outside who's gaze was locked firmly on the back of the redheads. Jean swallowed nervously, pointing shakily at the male titan who watched him with a glare. "Although, I think you'll be more help out there, helping that insane fucker."

Emilia glanced over her shoulder, meeting the glowing gaze of the titan who seemed to beckon her to him. "He looks frighteningly familiar, doesn't he?" She inquired slowly, looking back at Jean who shot her a weird look. "Are you trying to tell me you have a thing for a titan, or something?" He asked sarcastically, searching her icy eyes with a twitch of his mouth. 

"No, you dickhead." She jabbed him in the shoulder, shooting him a scowl as he nursed the injury half-heartedly. "His appearance, it looks familiar. You don't see it?"

Jean looked at her strangely. "Should I?"

She shook her head with a weary sigh, turning to Armin who looked at her expectantly. "I trust you to make the plans to deal with these shitheads, Mikasa can do the attacking while you use your pretty head." She patted the blonde's head affectionately, snorting at the annoyed look he shot her. "Just remember to use common sense, alright? I'm looking at you, Conny." Conny bit back a retort, his stature relaxing as he soon realized he was just glad to see the redhead in one piece.

Emilia flexed her fingers absent-mindedly, nodding to the others as Reiner moved his way throughout the crowd to Armin's side. The cadets gathered around Armin who was scrawling on a map, the piece of paper tan and old as he used a charcoal stick to scribble positions for the cadets. Ymir and Sasha stood beside Christa, their attention locked onto the blonde boy as they listened to his plans.

"We can use the shotguns that were left behind to blind them," Armin was saying. "Then, a couple of our cadets can perch up behind and prepare to strike their nape as soon as the titans lose their vision." Mikasa knelt next to his side, tilting her head in thought. "A couple of us can use the shotguns in a way where we can't be reached, but we need to make sure we don't miss. Whether it be with the guns or the blades, we have to be smart about this."

"Look at you, when did you get so smart?" Emilia inquired jokingly, meeting Armin's tired gaze with a sad smile. "I have faith in you that it'll work, plus a lot of us are good with our aim."

"I'll help out with killing the titans, we can come up from behind them on a high perch while the ones with the guns can take out their sight from afar." Sasha Braus commented quickly, her wide amber eyes shining with excitement. Conny Springer rested his elbow on her shoulder from beside her, scratching his chin in thought before speaking. "You would have to make sure you don't miss the nape, it could prove crucial to the plan. If we miss one titan, several cadets could die."

Jean nodded to Conny's comment, glancing at Emilia who was staring out through the damaged window at the emerald-eyed titan who met her stare head-on. Jean walked over to her side, crossing arms against his chest as he stood beside her silently for several minutes. He eyed the scarlet-haired girl's appearance, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the stoic look she held to protect her vulnerability from peeking out. Her eyes were narrow and sad, her dark scarlet hair coming to a stop just short of the small of her back and the training regiment jacket she wore splattered with dry blood. She seemed like she was curling in on herself, the loss of Eren tugging at her heartstrings and swallowing her emotions up whole. He felt a pang of pity for the redhead, his forehead creasing between his brows as his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"If you keep thinking that hard, you're going to puke—Kirstein." She murmured suddenly, surprising the chestnut-haired boy as he stammered out a reply. "I'm just wondering, why hasn't that big ass thing stopped staring at you?"

Emilia snorted. "Maybe he wants to eat me, y'know. Titans eat people, remember Jean?"

Jean shook his head, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly with a hand before he breathed out a sigh. "I'm going to go help Arlert and Braun with the supplies, I suggest you go help that thing keep the area clear of titans till we get the gas and blades in."

She nodded to the seemingly at ease chestnut haired male, unsheathing her blades as she kicked off of the wooden floor and zoomed out of the damaged window to the attacking titan's side. Emilia gazed up at the emerald-eyed male titan, his eyes following every movement she made as she made a cunning move and zoomed up to his shoulder before leaning against his head. "You don't want to eat me, why is that?" She questioned the titan firmly, watching as it eyed the movement of her mouth as she spoke. "Plus, you have the intelligence to smash titan's napes. What are you, a titan experiment?"

The male titan rumbled at that, his mouth opening in a groan as he struggled to speak. Emilia blinked wide eyed as the titan struggled to move it's tongue along it's words, freezing shock still as the titan looked at her straight and murmured a hoarse name. Her veins turned to ice as it spoke, eyes widening in surprise as she froze.

" _Mia_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured letting Eren's titan try to speak was interesting and I wanted to explore more on it. Will shovel out more chapters this week, and will be starting my book Calamity centered on The Walking Dead universe [main character will be Neptune Malkovich, discontinuing my FNAF book due to mental health reasons] this week too. Clockwork [Rin Malkovich in BNHA universe[ will be out eventually, but I might decide to do a A/B/O AU with Rin and Eren. I have a lot of ideas, and a lot of stories to create. I plan to write as much as I can for you all!


	6. Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 104th Cadets utilize their plan organized by Armin Arlert, resupplying their blades and gas in order to report back to safety. A new issue occurs, as well as a mystery that Emilia Martin solves thanks to her intelligence and the adoration she has for a problematic teenager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh boy, this is gonna be a long one. Sorry for the delay, I do my best to shovel out chapters as much as I can—I just have a lot of personal issues going on haha. Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> ————————————
> 
> "I will find you here inside the dark,
> 
> I will break through no matter where you are,
> 
> I will find you."

**Treasure**

A soft breath of air left the redhead's lungs as she studied the mystery titan in front of her, it's long tongue sticking out as it spoke through it's giant mouth that was riddled with it's pearly white teeth. The eyes of the titan were glowing viridescent green as they locked upon her hazel-blue eyes, the two locking gazes with a sort of understanding as Emilia searched its eyes frantically with a look of disbelief.

"Eren?" She breathed out, her eyes wide and her face stricken with emotion. "Eren, is that _you_? Please, _please_ tell me." Her voice was lingering on the tone of desperation, her hazel eyes blurring with tears as she reached out to place a hand on the titan's cheek. "It's me, Emilia. Mia, your Mia." Emilia told the titan, her hands shaking as the mystery titan followed every movement she made before opening its gigantic mouth once more.

" _Emilia_ ," it rumbled, the voice distorted and raspy but the words radiated throughout Emilia's bones like a pleasant hum just the same. She could hear the heavy breathing escape the titan before it looked at something beyond her, rage entering it's glowing gaze as Emilia sprung off of it quickly, landing on the roof beside him as a titan ran in her direction. Her eyes widened, about to press the gas with a shaky finger before the mystery titan that knew her name struck out a giant fist at the abnormal, sending the titan flying into a building across the street.

Sharp inhales of steam left the mystery titan as it let out a piercing scream, anger radiating throughout it's lungs as it broke forward towards the abnormal. As the abnormal attempted to rise up off the rubble of the building, the mystery titan brought its fists down on its face repeatedly, breaking through it's eye sockets and smashing its brain against the ground. Emilia watched in astonishment as it released its rage onto the titan, unbeknownst to the others starting to crowd him as a tiny titan latched onto his ankle. It gnawed at the flesh, several titans coming around to tear the arms off the male mystery titan as it let out a pained shriek. Emilia moved into motion as soon as she realized the dire situation, overhearing the shotgun shots from inside HQ thankfully as she used her gas to propel herself forward to help out the mystery titan. She zoomed around in the air, moving in a fluid swift motion across the napes of the abnormals with her sharpened blades. Relief flooded throughout her as she was able to drop the four of them, eyeing the other three with an annoyed look crossing her freckled face.

She flexed her hands experimentally, cringing at the exhaustion that seeped into her bones as she prepared to take out the other three titans that surrounded the male mystery titan. She examined the situation carefully, eyeing the preoccupied titans that paid her no mind as they focused on tearing the flesh and legs from the fifteen-foot-tall titan. Her hazel-blue eyes locked onto the blonde titan that was gnawing close to the mystery titan's nape, fury igniting her to move forward as she pressed her gas forward, rushing forward and slashing her blades into a firm line across the back of its neck. The blonde titan fell limply to the ground, steam emitting from it's body as it decomposed. The redhead made quick work to take out the others, each falling to the ground in a pitiful heap as the mystery titan sagged against the building with removed arms and a tired expression. Emilia flew to his side with her ODM, standing on his shoulder as she waved a sword in his face. "Hey, you can't give up yet!" She ordered frantically, trying to get the attention of the exhausted titan. "How do you know my name? Please, tell me who you are!"

"Hey! He's starting to fall, Emilia get back!" A familiar voice called, the redhead tearing her gaze away from the falling titan to see Jean Kirstein and Reiner Braun waving to her from the roof atop the HQ. She jumped off the mystery titan's shoulder as it fell to the ground, zipping to Jean and Reiner's side with a frown on her face. "I take it the operation went well?" She inquired numbly, crossing her arms against her chest as the two boys nodded to her. Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman flocked to her side, the bowl-cut haired boy nodding to her question. "It went smoothly, except for Sasha missing hers and Conny missing his, Mikasa and Annie had to take care of it."

"Mikasa is my savior!" Sasha chirped proudly, hugging the asian girl who looked as if she wanted to be somewhere else in that moment. If Emilia was in a good mood she would have laughed at the sight, but due to her undeniable anguish that built inside her from Eren Yeager's death, the redhead was too numb to feel any emotion. As Mikasa walked to her side, she wrapped an arm around Emilia and Armin and gathered them into a hug. The three hung their heads in sadness, Armin shaking with tears burning in his eyes and Emilia pressing her face into her sisterly companion's chest. "I'm glad you two are okay," Mikasa murmured softly, the cadets behind the trio looking at them with great sympathy. Every cadet there could feel the loss of Eren, the bright-eyed problematic boy who rushed his way into their hearts with the promise of freedom and a future for humanity. As Emilia began to break down, her shoulders shaking and her mouth opening into a cry, the mystery titan fell to the ground and steam emitted from it's neck as there was movement from its nape. Mikasa shushed her suddenly, grabbing her and Armin's hand as they broke between Jean and Reiner's position by the roof. Mikasa's charcoal eyes searched the view below, Emilia and Armin at her side as their usually stoic companion let out a gasp.

As the cadets looked down at the nape of the titan, there was a shape that broke free from the flesh that guarded the nape. Messy, chocolate brown hair covered the person's head, their tanned hands and legs all there and none missing as he removed himself unconsciously from the nape of the titan. His eyes were closed, long eyelashes barely fluttering as his mouth opened in a 'o' breathing the fresh air into his lungs. Mikasa and Emilia launched down from the roof, racing towards the boy with a frantic and hurried pace. Mikasa wrapped her arms around the boy, pressing her ear to his chest as she felt the steady heartbeat of Eren Yeager. Emilia sat beside her, watching as Mikasa broke down and cried out in a wail. Emilia set a hand on the boy's left arm, disbelief shining in her eyes at the state her best friend was in. Overwhelming emotions flooded through her, the adoration and enamored undeniable love rushing through her as she clasped her fingers in Eren's hand, lowering her head as she shuddered with a broken cry. She could feel his pulse as she tapped his neck, feeling his wrist and the overwhelming heat that radiated from him. 

Eren Yeager was alive.

As they gathered the teen up onto the roof beside their friends, Armin placed his hand against Eren's that clearly had grown back. The blonde looked over the boy's regrown limbs in disbelief, uttering a small: "His arm, his leg—what is going on?" 

Jean, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt—the rest of the cadets looked down at the ground of piled titans, their corpses decomposing and black rotting as Jean wondered: "Eren, Eren did all this?" Reiner hummed his reply, scratching his chin as he glanced at Annie and Bertholdt in an odd manner. "I'm guessing he did, we should be relieved he's alive. If Eren did all this, he could prove reliable to humanity."

"Reliable? As a human weapon?" Jean questioned whilst wrinkling his nose in disgust. "He's a human being, Reiner. You know that, we all know that. If Eren holds this power to transform into a titan, and transform back—he's going to be hunted."

"Jean has a point," Marco Bodt spoke up with his tiny voice from behind the horse-faced teen, his freckled face proving useful in the tense situation. "We all know Eren, how he works and how much he cares for his friends. He'd do anything to get beyond those walls and restore a home for all of humanity. He has the suicidal blockhead nickname for a reason." Jean snorted humorously at Marco's comment, clearing his throat directly afterwards before replying. "Exactly, the bastard would do anything for us. We all matter to him, so we're going to need to support him as much as we can."

Emilia rolled her eyes to Jean's, shooting him a half-hearted glare. "Wow, Jean. It almost seems like you like the guy," she commented dryly. The chestnut-haired teen colored considerably before rushing out an excuse. "I-I just care about all of us going forward, that's all."

Marco clasped a hand on Jean's shoulder, beaming wide with pride for the boy. Clearly, Marco's speech had gotten to him and had him reconsider his selfish antics. As the HQ was recovered by the 104th Cadet Corps, Eren Yeager was taken into custody whilst his childhood friends stuck by his side during the interrogation. The four of them were huddled up in the middle of the sandy ground, the walls standing tall behind them while the Garrison and it's timid commander for the time being looked on at Eren Yeager with a fear so great it looked as if he was about to piss himself. His beard was bushy and in dire need of a cut, his receding hairline proving fruitful to the scared deer expression he sported. Mikasa and Armin sat at either side of Eren Yeager, the boy unconscious for the time being as the three friends stood by his side protectively.

Eren Yeager's sea-green eyes fluttered open as his mouth twisted into a sickening smile, clearly out of it as he murmured: "I'll kill you all." Armin started wide-eyed and terrified at the boy, the Garrison soldiers surrounding them gasping at the proclamation. "Did you hear that? He said he wants to kill us!"

"He was talking about the _titans_ , you fucktards." A cold and irritated voice growled out, her red hair flowing effortlessly behind her and showing a very intimidating posture from the way she had unsheathed her blades and held them in front of her with a psychotic grin. The Garrison Soldiers that were on the steps surrounding them flinched at her harsh tone, eyeing the way she poised herself. Clearly, Emilia Martin was a force to be reckoned with given her shared training with Mikasa Ackerman and the adoration she felt for the Yeager boy. Eren's eyes blearily focused on the back of the redhead, his eyes widening as he examined her state. Her arms were rippled with scars from the open flesh you could see due to the training regiment's jacket being lazily worn over her small figure. Her hands were gripping hard on the handles of her swords, her movement lithe and swift like a cat as she hovered in front of her friends. There was a clear manic rage that swarmed her from the way the weapons from the Garrison were pointed at Eren, her position in front of them almost swarming with a dark energy. She tilted her head at the Garrison man who looked as if he was wetting his pants by looking at her, twirling her blades with her hands in a cocky manner. "Let's get this across beforehand, alright? If _any_ of you, touch a hair on any of my friend's heads, you'll have me to deal with." She bit out angrily, chuckling humorlessly afterward as she continued. "After all, if I see one of you move—whether it be a finger or even a foot—I'll slice you up into pieces. Understood?"

A chilled silence moved throughout the space, each Garrison soldier staring dead-eyed at Emilia Martin with terrified expressions. It was like the soldier part of them had tucked tail and ran, with the vibrant energy she possessed—each of them knew that every word she spoke was true. Eren moved suddenly from behind her, the garrison soldiers moving their weapons forward at his movement before Emilia blocked them from view, moving in front of him and curling her lip into a snarl. "What did I say? An inch, even an inch. Do you want me to remove your fingers? I can gladly start there, if you'd wish." The redhead challenged, the blue in her hazel eyes seemingly glowing into an icy glacier, the gold from the hazel swirling around her iris and glinting deviously.

"Eren Yeager, are you a titan—or are you human?" The garrison commander asked, his voice booming across the still area as Eren looked between his friends frantically. He opened his lips, rolling his tongue across his lower lip to wet it from having a dry mouth as he spoke. "I'm, I'm human!"

They frowned, eyebrows creasing at the apparent answer. "Wasn't it you, who was the titan—stomping all the titans in your wake? Or was it not?"

Emilia stood in front of Eren now, taking a hand behind her back and allowing him to hold it as he clasped a hand in her grip that was clammy and shaky. He could feel the overwhelming rage that swirled through her from just a touch, the aura from her radiating pure and unflinching rage. "Wouldn't you do the same, if you were given the power to shift into a titan?" Emilia questioned icily. "From all the pain and death they've caused, I believe that if you too were given the power to transform into one of them, that you would want to slaughter them all." There was a hum of agreement amongst the soldiers, Mikasa and Armin's eyes boring into the back of the redhead's skull as she drawled on. "If you truly think that Eren Yeager is a threat to your precious humankind, take a good look at all the chaos he incited around Trost. He killed _titans_ , only titans. Not a single hair on a human was touched. If any of you had a single brain cell left inside your empty skulls, _you'd understand that_."

She could feel Armin's approving gaze from behind her as she slipped back to their side, sitting down in front of Eren who immediately tucked her underneath his chin and against his chest. She could feel his pounding heart from behind her, a soft relieved sigh breathing out of him as he gathered the redhead against him and burrowed his face into her hair. Mikasa and Armin hovered protectively beside them, Mikasa standing with her swords in front of them and Armin crouching on Eren's left side. The garrison commander was colored pink, anger in his large brown eyes as he raised his hand to summon the cannon into launching at Eren Yeager. "I don't know what you are," he growled out. "But, I know you are not human." He gave the command to launch the cannon, Eren's eyes widening in realization as the ball hurled towards them at an impossible speed. He gathered his arms around his friends, raising his hand up to his mouth as he bit into it savagely as a large lightning bolt struck the ground and his body transformed into a horrifying husk of a titan. He had a skeletal hand, pinky raw flesh surrounding his chest as the large arm shot out to grab the cannon ball and allowed it to explode the gigantic hand instead. Mikasa, Armin, and Emilia were inside the skeleton's ribcage, eyes wide as they examined the large hold that they were in.

There was a sickening rip as Eren ripped himself out of the nape of the skeletal neck, jumping down and racing inside the ribcage, "Hey, are you three alright?" he questioned worryingly, his sea-green eyes softening in relief as he crawled inside and crouched at their side. The trio nodded at their titan-shifting friend, Emilia eyeing the sweat that was clinging to his forehead and neck, his matted brown hair sticking to the back of his neck. Emilia broke forward, wrapping her arms around the boy and burrowing her face in his neck. "I'm glad you're not dead," she murmured. "You scared the shit out of us, you know that?" Eren chuckled softly, raking his nails through her hair comfortingly as the redhead burrowed against him. "I'm glad I'm not dead too, but I will be if they decide to kill me." He told her sadly, the redhead immediately shaking her head in disagreement. "We'll get you out of this, we have Armin after all."

Armin raised a blonde eyebrow at his redhead friend, "What do you mean?" He asked quizzically, looking between the three as Mikasa and Emilia shared knowing glances. "You have intelligence, whereas those soldiers do not." Emilia answered simply, her mouth quirking up into a smirk as Armin flushed in embarrassment. "I'm not as good as the three of you, I don't have your combat experience or your ODM skills, I'm simply a nobody." Armin protested weakly.

"If we thought you were a nobody, would we be asking you to do this?" Emilia pointed out smoothly. "You're the strategist of our group, we always look to you for advice because you always have it. You're like the person that knows everything about everything, understand that Armin?"

He sighed heavily before nodding timidly, glancing between the three before Eren gave him a firm nod, allowing the blonde to spring into action as he removed himself from the ribcage and stalked towards the garrison soldiers that were waiting. He hold out his hands in surrender, eyes wide and scared before he spoke. "Eren Yeager is not an enemy of humankind, I understand you all are scared but there is no reason to be. Countless soldiers in the Trost district saw him attacking the titans, not touching any people in the slightest. We used him to take care of the titans surrounding the Trost headquarters, and in that plan he took care of every titan without a thought. Although we had no idea it was Eren in the beginning, he still took care of what we needed to do. I believe we can use his titan to block up the hole in the wall of Trost, and secure safety inside Trost district once more." 

"How do you know he won't screw it up? He just transformed in front of us, and you expect us to believe he's not a threat?" The timid garrison man demanded, to which Armin answered his question smoothly in response. "He transformed to protect us from harm, his friends. Eren Yeager would put his life down on the line for us, he just wants humanity to be free."

He glanced over his shoulder at his friends, the three nodding at him and Eren smirking at him proudly. Armin grinned determinedly, dropping his arm to smack it against his chest in a perfect salute. "I believe Eren Yeager can be used to instill freedom in humanity once more, by plugging up the wall with the large rock in Trost district and serving mankind! It is our duty as soldiers to serve humanity, and I believe that is exactly what Eren Yeager will do." Armin's salute was so beautiful and profound, that when the timid garrison man rose his arm once more to summon the cannon, Dot Pixis came up behind him and caught the arm easily to examine the situation. 

"Can't you see the fantastic salute he's giving? If that isn't a perfect image of a soldier, I don't know what is." Dot Pixis mused, scratching his chin as he smiled heartily at the teens who looked upon him in relief. "Eren Yeager, was it? Let's have a chat." Eren blinked doe-eyed at his name, Mikasa and Emilia hauling the teen up onto his feet as they guided him to Dot Pixis with relieved smiles. "I overheard that you could plug up the hole in the wall in Trost, is that right?"

Eren nodded quickly, "I will do everything I can to ensure that it happens, sir." He saluted with his fist against his chest, beaming determinedly at the bald-headed man who's mustache twitched at the sight of the radiant teen. "I hope you make sure it does." The elder man commented wearily, beckoning the boy to fall in behind him as they climbed atop the wall and strolled along its walls.

"Your blonde friend was quite the character," Dot Pixis commented easily. "I take it the plan was made up on a whim, no?"

Eren laughed sheepishly. "Yes, but I believe I can put the plan into action." He told the man, eyeing the canister that the man held out to him as a peace offering. "Well, Eren—have a drink before we undertake this glorious plan."

The boy took a swig out of the canister uneasily, immediately spitting out the rum over the wall.

* * *

As Dot Pixis put his plan into action, multiple cadets wished to leave and abandon their duties due to the inner turmoil and fear that swarmed within them because of the titans. Several almost left, but due to him mentioning that they would be able to protect their families by putting Armin's crazy plan involving Eren into action, they realized that the problematic titan boy could be the key to sealing up the holes inside Trost and one day do the same in Wall Maria. Eren and Mikasa were sprinting across the roofs next to Rico Brzenka and her squadmates, Armin and Emilia left behind on the walls in order to oversee the operation. From Mikasa's spot beside Eren, she could tell there were countless thoughts swarming inside his mind. From the unreadable expression he sported and the firm set to his jaw, she could tell that she was out of her league of soothing her brother. Rico glanced between the two with an icy gaze, her glasses glinting from the sun that beamed upon them from above. "I hope you know what you're doing," the white-haired woman told them with a scowl. "We're putting a lot of lives on the line for you."

"Eren will get it done," Mikasa told her quickly. "Armin's plan was smart, we'll know what to do."

Eren nodded in agreement, eyeing the gigantic rock from a bit away before turning to his adopted sister. "Let's do this!" He grinned at her determinedly, launching off of the roof and biting his fist. The bright light illuminated around him as he transformed, a sharp roar emitting from his lungs before he looked around ominously. Mikasa watched her brother in awe, watching as he faced the boulder and flexed his fists experimentally. As Eren's titan turned towards her, she uttered out a small: "Eren?" before he struck his fist into the building she hovered on, the shards of glass hitting her cheek and marking a small cut as she launched away in horror. Rico called out to Mikasa, "Ackerman! Get out of there, he's not in control."

Clearly ignoring her orders, the ravenette spurred her gas forward and landed on Eren's nose, speaking to him frantically. "Eren, it's me! What's going on with you?" The titan rumbled dangerously, Ian Dietrich and Rico shouting at Mikasa to get back just as she dodged the fist that slammed into his own face. Eren stumbled back into the boulder, falling down limply in a concussed state. Mikasa looked to her commanders with a scared expression, Rico raising her flare to the sky and shooting a red one for failure. "I knew it, there was no secret weapon." The white-haired woman grumbled out.

On the wall, Armin and Emilia spotted the flare with disbelief in their eyes. "Damn, guess that means it was a fluke then?" Jean chattered from beside them, Sasha and Conny murmuring their agreement. Armin shook his head angrily, sprinting off in the direction of the flare while Emilia chased after him. "He must've lost control," Emilia suggested airily, following behind the blonde who was sprinting like his life depending on it. "Hey, sassy pants! You got a plan or are we going after them without one? Usually this is your area of expertise." She shouted over the wind jokingly, the blonde snorting at her comment. 

"Of course I do, we need to get him out of whatever state he's in and make sure he knows what he's doing." Armin told her boastfully. She rolled her eyes at his back, "That'll go over real well. You want to stab his nape so he can hear you over the amount of gigantic titan mass he has?"

Armin laughed over the wind, spurring his ODM gear to move in the direction of the flare and he kicked up the gas. Emilia followed behind him, eyeing the titans that are lumbering towards the boulder where Eren awaited. "Hey, Armin? I'm going to take care of the titans that are heading Eren's way. I'll catch up with you, alright?" Emilia told him, seeing that the titans were too close for comfort. "Don't keep us waiting long, Mia." He retorted, grinning over his shoulder at the redhead who zipped away over the buildings.

She zoomed around the rooftops, parkouring easily and missing the tiny titans below her feet easily. She glanced at the dark-haired titans in front of her, launching her wire into the back of the right one's neck and slicing her blade across the nape. The titan beside it turned on her angrily, reaching out with its grabby hands to attempt to get hold of her before the redhead spun in a circle, slicing its fingers off as it roared out in pain. Fixating on the titan's nape, she shot a wire into the titan's neck and spun around as she kicked her feet out to slice across the nape experimentally. The titan fell beside it's friend, decomposing with steam smoking out of it. Emilia frowned, seeing the mass of titans that were lumbering towards the center where Eren was positioned. It would take a while before the redhead could meet up with her friends, due to the amount of titans she would have to take care of. Emilia shot her wires out among the buildings, using her gas to propel herself forward quickly as she bounced from roof to roof. Several titans were gathering near the HQ, some heading down the streets to where Eren was located. She groaned in frustration, spurring quickly towards the titans as she went in a clean line across one of their necks. As it fell, several of the titans beside it tripped and fell on their faces.

Emilia jumped to the top of the HQ roof, scaling up to the tower and looking down below as she inhaled sharp gulps of air. Her bones ached from the amount of cardio she was having to do all day, whether it be from the start of the Trost mission or beyond that. Although, as she was feeling small beats of exhaustion, she saw a large boulder in the distance being heaved across a strong set of shoulders. Relief flooded through her gaze as she spotted Eren carrying the boulder, eyeing the spots flying next to him clearly as Armin and Mikasa. Now, it was her turn to take care of those that steered too close to him like the ones below her. She glanced down with her hazel-blue eyes, seeing the grabbing hands of the titans with a disgusted curl of her lips. "You all smell disgusting," she commented dryly, unsheathing her blades and examining the dull edges. She flung the blades into the eyes of the one directly below her, relishing in the pained groans as she unsheathed a new pair of blades. "Now, please—lie down and die for me, would you?" She murmured darkly, launching up off the tower and zipping down towards the titans, spinning around to their necks and driving her blades across each of them once she got around to each one. Emilia could feel the hum of unknown energy buzzing inside her as she spun, blades catching on their napes as the titans fell to the ground with a hard _thump_.

A blur of movement appeared beside her in a shape of ebony dark hair, emerald green adorning their shoulders as they flew past her to help. In a very calculated manner, the soldier moved towards the remaining titans near her and spun in a circle. They slashed their blades across their necks, Emilia moving now since she realized she had a partner. She sprinted across the tiled roof, jumping forward as she threw her swords at the eye sockets of the titan, watching as they reached up to cover their eyes as the soldier behind it sliced across its nape carefully. The redhead darted forward, yanking her swords out of the decomposing titan's eyes with a rough tug. She stood on top of the brunette titan's forehead, eyeing her sword and grimacing at the blood that covered it. She cleaned it off and flicked the droplets of blood away, raising her gaze to the soldier that stood on the roof above her.

"Who the _hell_ are you?" He demanded sharply, his steel-grey eyes meeting hers with a dangerous glint in them. Emilia eyed the soldier carefully, seeing he adorned the Scout Regiment's cape and their lovely wings on the back. He was decently taller than her, but she knew that Eren would tower over him easily. He had a beautiful face, a ebony undercut that he filled in quite nicely. His skin was a pale white, almost reminded her of Mikasa as the two sized each other up. His eyes somewhat widened as he took in her features, reminiscent glowing in his eyes as he took in her red hair and hazel-blue eyes. She sheathed her swords and tilted her head to the side as she looked up at the man, smiling thinly.

"Emilia Martin, who the hell are _you_?" She reiterated back, narrowing her eyes at him as she zipped up to his roof, standing a few feet below him since she was so short in height. His mouth threatened to twitch into a smile as he looked at the redhead, "Captain Levi. I would have assumed you knew me, but clearly you do not."

Emilia snorted. "I don't exactly drool over Scout Regiment soldiers, no." She turned her head and looked down at the steaming titans, their skin oily black and decomposing as the two conversed with one another. "You're late, by the way. Had to use my best friend to plug up the damn hole in the wall." She jabbed her thumb at the moving titan that was holding the boulder in the distance, Levi widening his eyes in response. "Your friend is a titan?"

She shook her head. "Titan-Shifter, don't know how the hell it happened though." Levi exchanged a look with the redhead, shrugging his shoulders with a sigh. "I was heading that way anyway, I'm sensing that we're going to have a lot of trouble with that friend of yours."

Her eyes glittered dangerously at his words, "He won't be a problem as long as you don't make him one, Captain." Levi met her gaze steadily, interest showing in his eyes as he examined the redhead. He _tched_ with his tongue, beckoning with a hand. "Let's go save your precious friend then, Martin."

"Call me Martin one more time, and I'll throw up on you." She retorted, the ravenette in reply shaking his head as he tried to hide a smile. The girl clearly reminded him of someone, whether that be from his past or his regiment members, she had no clue. There was a flare of green in the distance as Emilia followed after Levi, the pair moving swiftly now through the air as they made their way towards the plugged up wall. She could see Eren pushing the boulder into the hole, his large arms straining with the weight but he did it all the same. She saw two titans near her friends as they came up close, Mikasa readying her blades and Armin shielding Eren behind him. Rico let out a shout, but Levi and Emilia already knew what to do. The pair moved towards the titans, Emilia taking the left and Levi taking the right. The strongest soldier slashed his blades across the back of his titan as he spun, Emilia doing the same to hers as the titans collapsed onto the ground.

Levi's cape flowed behind him, the wings on it flowing in the wind as the redhead jumped up beside him. Eren Yeager opened his eyes, the markings below his eyes red as he blinked wearily at the two. He could see the Scout Regiment signet on the back of Levi, and was puzzled as Emilia turned up beside the man and glanced down at him. 

"So, what the hell is going on here?" Levi questioned them immediately, Emilia laughing in turn beside the man. "You have no fucking clue," she chortled out. Levi glared at her, clearly wanting to tell her to watch the language but she shrugged him off a she hopped down in front of her friends. She held a hand out to Eren, a wide grin beaming on her face. He could see the pride radiating in her eyes as he took her hand, allowing her to pull him up as the two looked at each other.

"Good job, Yeager."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update as soon as possible, and yes—Emilia reminds Levi of a certain someone that I hope you all know haha. [Isabel Magnolia]


	7. Enigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Eren Yeager is captured and held at trial for being a Titan Shifter, a fiery redhead known as Emilia Martin does everything in her power to stick by his side. Levi and Emilia clash together, due to their unknown ties and curiosities about one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, here with another chapter! 342 views on Pandemonium—wow! Honestly, I'm speechless. I've never had this much feedback or viewership for my books, but since coming onto Archive of our Own, it's been incredible. Seriously, I love each and every one of you! Hope you enjoy the chapter ;)
> 
> _____________________________
> 
> "If you think that I make decisions based off of what you think,
> 
> Then you're wrong.
> 
> Can't nobody think for me, I got my own thoughts.
> 
> Sometimes you don't know what you had until it's all gone."

**Enigma**

There was a blur of movement as the redhead launched onto the soldiers restraining her bright-eyed friend, spitting snarling venom as she wrapped her arms around one of their necks and hauled them backward. Eren was caught off guard by the quick movements of Emilia Martin, her eyes a glowing icy blue as she slammed the heel of her boot down onto the soldier's chest. The redhead looked unhinged, her icy-blue hazel eyes glinting in the candlelight of the hall as she stared down at the military police soldier with a rage so vivid it seemed to pour dark energy out around her. The man below her sported a clean shaven face, a short blonde cut and his eyes were cruel as he stared up at the girl. "They didn't tell us that we'd have _two_ monsters to deal with," the man commented uneasily, the word ' _monster_ ' even being used towards Eren causing Emilia to rake her nails across the man's face, a wail exuding from him from the pain of her scratches.

She gripped the collar of the man's shirt, his comrade that was holding onto Eren clearly shaken as he watched the young woman completely terrorize his partner. "Call him a monster again, I dare you. I'll cut out your tongue next, would you like that?" She threatened icily, the dangerous glint in her eyes causing the man to scramble away from her. As the two soldiers scrambled to their senses, Emilia pushed herself next to Eren with a challenging glare. "You take me as well, I'm not letting you bastards leave him alone in a cell by himself."

Both military police soldiers simply nodded, pushing Eren along and into the cell as they handcuffed his hands. The chains were tied to the wall, and when they attempted to do the same to Emilia, she snapped at them like a wild hound. "Get the fuck out already, I'll take care of him since you shitheads are too scared." The two soldiers darted away, shutting the cell shut and wandering out the door. Eren shot up from his position on the bed, reaching out for Emilia frantically before the redhead launched up onto the bed. She looked down at the brunette with a small smile, her hands placed on either side of his head as she peered down from above him. His eyes that were once wide and scared softened as he looked at her, reaching up with a chained hand to attempt to touch her. Though, as soon as he did, the chain yanked him back and he let out a groan of frustration. Emilia sensed what he wanted to do, lowering herself as she rested her forehead against his. She could feel the way that he trembled as she curled up into him, the fear of being alone in the cell and being treated as nothing less than scum causing him to feel utterly and truly abandoned. Although, Emilia had squeezed her way through and practically was laying on top of him to prove that she was there.

"Eren," she said softly, placing a hand on his cheek to get the messy-haired boy to look at her. Once he did, the look in his viridescent eyes seeming to bore into her like a tsunami, the pure adoration that laid in his eyes as he looked at the redhead making her cheeks redden. "I'm not going anywhere, alright?" Emilia reassured him gently.

Eren nodded solemnly, reaching out for her numbly as she gathered against his chest, resting her head on top of it. "Why did you choose to stay in a cell with me? You could have been with Mikasa and Armin—"

"I'm as much of a threat as you are," Emilia interrupted dryly, feeling the hum in her veins spark with that unknown energy once more as she thought about it. "I have my own questions that I need to ask, after all."

He looked down at the redhead at his side, her hazel blue eyes meeting his gaze steadily. "What do you mean by that?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Emilia shook her head, sighing tiredly into his chest. "I don't exactly know, Eren. I have questions myself, honestly."

"Are you a Titan Shifter too?" He asked her with a frown. Emilia shot him a look before rolling her eyes, "If I was a Titan Shifter, don't you think I would have shifted by now? Although, you had no idea you were one."

The door creaked open as soon as the two hushed themselves, Emilia slipping off the bed whilst Eren reached out for her with a panicked look. Ignoring his wishes, she peered through the bars before spotting a familiar ravenette with steel-grey eyes. The man was a good feet taller than her, but she knew others towered over the man like he was an ant. He walked past the cell bars before leaning against the wall, a taller blonde man at his side that sported huge eyebrows and a crazed look in his oceanic eyes.

She clasped a hand around one of the bars, her fiery red hair flowing down behind her and over her chest from how long it had grown. Her hazel blue eyes were hypnotizing, and as she and Levi met eyes—she could feel a warm energy flow through her as they exchanged a look. The blonde commander beside Levi glanced between the two, an idea rising in his eyes as he began speaking. "I was not informed of a new cellmate for Mr. Yeager, might I ask who you are?"

Emilia stifled a laugh behind her hand, "I would advise dropping the formal tendencies. You don't look a year over forty, sir." The blonde man inclined his head in question, wide blue eyes fascinated with the new discovery of Emilia Martin. "I'm Emilia Martin, and I'm guessing you're the man that's going to take charge of Eren?" The freckles that dusted her cheeks and shoulders marred over the scars that riddled her body, the scar that crossed her nose bridge almost complimenting the redhead's beauty as she stood in front of the cells in the candle light. Levi looked as if he wanted to jump forward, digging his nails into the palms of his hand as Emilia raked her gaze over him like a wildfire.

"I am Commander Erwin of the Scout Regiment, this is Captain Levi." He gestured to the shorter man beside him, Levi casting him a scorching glare before allowing the blonde male to continue. "I understand that there is a key to your father's basement, Eren? That it will tell us all we need to know about our history. Is that correct?"

From behind Emilia, the young male nodded his head, hands twitching as he fought the urge to be closer to Emilia. She could feel his bright sea-green gaze boring into the back of her skull, Erwin looking between the two in puzzlement. "May I ask, Emilia—what on earth are you? Why are you in this cell with the boy who is able to transform into a titan?"

"I don't know what I am, I just know that I want to be by his side." Emilia blurted out truthfully, the uneasy energy that hummed inside her spiraling around her veins like electricity. She winced at the sharp pain, clutching her wrist to her as Levi shot forward to open the cell like it was something he had to do. She could hear the voices warble out of focus, the heat inside her growing warmer as she felt the Captain take her by the hand away from a screeching titan boy who begged to help her. Erwin stayed behind for Eren, watching his ravenette Captain take the young woman underneath his wing like it was second nature. Her vision was a blur, the energy humming inside her filling into an unpleasant rage while her body became clammy and sweaty.

"Oi, kid. What's going on with you? You knew it was dangerous to go near Eren and you did it anyway. What were you thinking?" Levi bit out angrily, narrow eyes widening as the girl started to fall, the stoic male picking her up from underneath her legs and jogging throughout the hallway with a frantic gaze. Emilia looked as if she was eerily sick, her eyebrows furrowing and nose scrunching up as she groaned in pain. Levi looked over the redhead's body, frowning in thought before jolting up his head as the familiar pony-tailed crazy woman came into view and opened her mouth to speak.

"Hange, I need you to help her out. I don't know what the hell is wrong with her, but you need to figure it out." Levi rushed out quickly, ignoring the curious look in Hange's eyes from the desperation in his tone. "Oooh, she's a pretty one! Never seen someone with this red hair, she looks like a goddess! She was the one that helped you at Trost, right?" Hange asked, inclining her head to the side like a dog as she awaited answers from the short man.

Levi _tched_ with his tongue, cradling the redhead closer to his chest in fear of the both of them catching the crazy that swallowed Hange Zoe up. "Listen, four-eyes. Can you help her or not? Seriously, she's scaring the shit out of me." His tone was clipped, but Hange could tell by the way he was avoiding her eyes that the man felt a sort of connection to the young woman. With the way her hair was a fiery red, the defiant look in her hazel-blues that never ceased existing, and from the moment Levi met the woman—she was an enigma.

"Hey hey, Levi. I'll do the best I can but seriously—are you sure she isn't the same breed as that titan boy of hers?" Levi glared at her, the brunette scientist waving her hands up in surrender. "Can you not see what's going on with her, short stuff? She looks like she has a fire inside her, that's not normal." Hange looked over the girl carefully, placing a palm on her forehead that felt hot to the touch. She crouched down in front of Levi, running a hand over her right forearm that laid limply down as the ravenette held her bridal-style. Hange's calculative eyes raced over the forearm, feeling along it with an index finger as a fiery red color bubbled to the surface beneath her freckled arm and Hange jumped away in alarm.

"This is some weird shit," the brunette woman chirped. "Looks like I have two experiments to deal with, huh?" Levi met her eyes coolly before the crazy woman beckoned him down the hallway towards her office. The young woman in his arms laid limp against the ravenette, Levi looking down at her with an unreadable expression before following after Hange Zoe. As they entered the office, he eyed the contraptions that laid around the woman's office with disgust. Whether it be paperwork or plain dumb experiments that the woman had been working on, Levi wasn't pleased in the slightest.

He set the redhead down on the table as the brunette circled around her anxiously, tapping her forearm and simply watching as the energy inside the girl moved around and hummed. "You've mentioned feeling this kind of energy that you can't explain before, right Levi?" Hange asked quickly, feeling along the temples of Emilia before jolting back with a _yowch!_ at the heat that emitted from the girl. Levi nodded, grabbing a wooden chair and pulling it up beside the table as he looked over the girl thoughtfully. "When I met her out there at Trost, she seemed to be in some sort of trance before I arrived. Whether it be from the bloodlust of killing the titans, or maybe her mind was just else where."

Hange glanced over at him, the small man tilting his head as he grabbed his cup of tea and sipped it quietly. The two looked over the girl curiously, a million things rooting up in their heads on what could be going on with Emilia. As the two set to work on figuring out how to help Emilia Martin, it wasn't long before it was time to drag Eren Yeager to his trial over being a Titan Shifter.

* * *

Dread settled in a pit at Eren Yeager's stomach as he followed the high-ponytailed brunette woman with scientific glasses down the hallway towards the trial room, a lingering anxiety unfurling and threatening to scream out inside him. He had no idea where Emilia was, what awaited him in the courtroom, or if he was even going to be alive after the trial. Every pair of eyes that locked onto his as he entered the court room was full with hatred and disgust. Some military police spat at the ground when he walked by, immediately being chained to the pole that sat idly in the center of the room. Zachary sat in his chair above the two regiments with unease, his weathered and gray face full of unreadable emotion as Eren Yeager was seated down. The Scouts and Military Police were on either side of the room, the military police to Eren's left and the scouts to his right. He felt every pair of eyes lock onto his skull, boring into it until he could feel their undeniable hunger to kill him right there in the court.

He was known as a monster to humanity, the boy turned titan who simply plugged the hole in the wall in trost in order to secure the titans from inside. Eren Yeager was a wonder boy, someone who could change the world for the greater or turn it into an inevitable horror. As his sea-green hues looked around the court, he spotted Mikasa and Armin in the crowd with worried expressions painted on their faces. Immediately, he could see the question in their eyes— _are you alright_ , and _where is Emilia_?

He felt like he swallowed a lump as the judge Zachary cleared his throat for all of their attention. "I understand that Eren Yeager is to be tried for his crimes as a Titan Shifter. Might we hear the decisions from the Military Police, and then the Scout Regiment?" Eren's eyes flew to the military police's, the man a rat-looking man with very little black scruff on his weary face. "We wish to execute Eren Yeager immediately, due to him being an ultimate enemy to humanity. He should be tried for his crimes, and killed."

Eren could feel the rage inside him boiling, biting down on his lip harshly to prevent himself from screaming out at the worthless cowards. Judge Zachary turned to the blonde man known as Erwin, the Scout Commander standing upright to attention. "We wish to use Eren Yeager's abilities to further the future for mankind. He could prove useful, and we could take him under our wing to ensure safety."

As the commander spoke. the military police blurted out in outrage: "How can you ensure safety from a monster that could kill us all? Have you all lost your damn minds? He's a titan! Titans are killers."

With that statement, Eren felt the undefeatable urge to lash out and speak his piece swim to the surface as he opened his mouth and started to shout at them all. "Do you hear yourselves? Scared over me, when you should be scared of what's out there and focusing on slaughtering them all? I'm merely a kid, a fifteen year-old boy and you are so adamant about ending my life that you don't see the possibilities that lie right in front of you."

"You're all damn cowards, spineless bastards—" Eren spat out angrily, feeling pride rise within him for the words that spoke the truth. "Just shut your mouths, and invest yourselves in me!" He screamed out, the court room utterly silent before a boot knocked hard into Eren's jaw. He barely had a moment to react as Captain Levi beat him senselessly, his boot kicking into Eren's chin and slamming down on top of his skull as he continued to kick the shit out of him. As the room went into a still silence, Levi balanced his foot on top of Yeager's skull before speaking. "I've learned, that pain is the best solution to teaching someone how to behave." He gripped Eren up by his hair, turning his face to the military police who stared in shock.

Levi let go of Eren's head now, standing to his feet and walking forward into the center. His gaze was clouded with zero emotion, whatever was going on in the Captain's mind was burrowed deep inside. "I can kill him, but can you? I doubt a single one of you would even try." His dark eyes glanced around the court room before Erwin raised his hand, Zachary calling on him with a slow dip of his head. "I have a proposition: Captain Levi can take Eren Yeager under his care, as well as the Enigma we have in treatment by Hange Zoe." There were murmurs of confusion amongst the crowd, Mikasa and Armin looking over at Eren who looked immediately enraged by the codeword they were using for Emilia.

Although the Yeager boy was beaten down, he struggled against his chains as he growled out to Levi, "Where the hell is Emilia? Why are you refering to her as the Enigma?" He demanded, the fire circling inside his bright eyes as Levi looked down at the boy with a frown. "Emilia Martin is none of your concern right now, focus on your own issues—kid." Levi told him harshly, Eren ducking his head down as he dug his nails into his palms to fight back the urge to let loose.

"It is decided, Eren Yeager will go to the Scout Regiment, as well as the Enigma." Zachary degreed, the courtroom murmuring in agreement as they filed out through the doors. Eren followed after Levi and Erwin, eager to find out news about Emilia as well as news about his own position. His eyes ran over Levi's shoulders, furrowing his brow at the tense hunch of his Captain's shoulders. Hange Zoe zoomed towards him as soon as they came into view of her office, her wide chocolate eyes searching hers before looking at Levi over the young man's shoulder. Levi looked as if he had a guarded expression, causing Hange to hum in wonder before beckoning the three men into her office.

They sat Eren down on a couch, Levi sitting next to him and throwing his arm over the shoulder of the couch to look at Eren in the eye. "You understand that I had to do that to show that we have control, right?" Levi asked him immediately. Eren nodded, feeling for his missing tooth in his mouth as Hange shot forward to look at the newly growing teeth with a whoop of joy. "This is fascinating, it merely grew back in minutes!" Levi pushed the woman away, muttering something about personal space as Erwin knelt down in front of Eren with a wonderous look.

"We'll take care of you, Eren. Of you and the Enigma, you can count on that." Erwin told him with a pleasant smile, his blue eyes warm and soothing as the brunette nodded his head hesitantly.

"Where is Emilia?" Eren blurted out next, Levi tensing beside him and causing Eren to glare at him as he sensed the uneasiness in the room. "Well? Are you going to tell me or do I have to find her myself?"

Hange sighed heavily, gathering herself up on her feet before calling to Eren, "Follow me, you too shorty." Levi glared at her in reply, but followed behind the two brunettes as Hange opened the drapes to reveal the beautiful redhead who was only covered by a gown. Her freckles that dusted her face gave character, the scar that danced across the bridge of her nose complimenting her mesmerizing yet terrifying features. As Eren reached her, he pushed by Levi immediately and crouched at her side. From the state she was in, she looked unconscious and almost in a coma state. Although, that wasn't quite the case. "When will she wake up?" The brunette asked Hange softly, clasping his hand in Emilia's as he swallowed the anxiety inside him.

She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest before replying. "Should be a few hours, then she should be good as new. Although, we'll need to do experiments with her like we do with you."

Eren glanced up at Hange from his spot with a raised eyebrow. "You're telling me that Emilia has powers, like mine?"

Hange giggled insanely, Levi shooting her a sharp glance before the brunette cleared her throat and nodded slowly. "We're not sure if it stems along the lines of your Titan Shifting powers, but she has something along the lines of it. An energy I haven't seen remotely on a normal human, of course. From what Levi observed when meeting her, she was in sort of a trance when she was killing titans. Almost like a berserker, per say. When she felt exhausted, the energy inside her renewed and she kept going. If she has abilities per say like the other titan shifters out there, who knows what she can do?"

"She's dangerous, like you." Levi told Eren hoarsely, pulling up a stool to sit on as he looked down at the redhead with a reserved expression. "It's up to us to control both of you, as well as you both learning to control yourselves. It won't be an easy task, but you just have to cooperate."

The bright-eyed boy nodded immediately, gripping Emilia's hand like his life depended on it. "I'll stay with her, then. She was there for me when I was alone, too. I want her to know that I care about her. That she has someone, to lean on, to be there for her." Eren murmured out softly, the two older humans nodding in agreement. Hange beckoned Levi to exit the room, the ravenette hesitating with a growl leaving his lungs but Hange ushered him out forcefully anyway.

Eren settled at Emilia's side, clasping his hand in hers as he ran his hand through her hair gently with a love-struck expression. "You drive me crazy, you know that?" He whispered softly to the redhead. "I've never felt this way before, ever. I may be a stupid kid, but you make me want to be more than that. With these powers we both have, we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. It's up to us to pave the future, and I'm glad you're still here throughout all my fuck-ups."

"I'm sorry I scared the shit out of you, that I died and came back." Eren continued, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as he spoke to her unconscious body. "You were the one thing I held onto and it brought me back, the desperation I had to discover the world and change it. You were part of that dream, Mia. You just never realized it."

He held onto her hand as her eyes fluttered open, a sleepy smile stretching across her rosy lips as she turned her eyes to look at him. The viridescent hues that swirled inside his eyes pulled her in like a fascinating trance as the boy realized she was waking. He opened his mouth to speak, his ears reddening and a flush settling in over his cheeks. She put an index finger against his lips to shush him, wincing as she moved from the pain the energy inside her was twisting. Eren wrapped an arm around her as he settled onto the bed she was in, the girl curling up against his chest as gripping his hand like a lifeline. He could feel his anxiety settle, feeling the even breaths of Emilia Martin against him as the two laid on the bed with exhaustion. Emilia curled into Eren's side, resting her head on his chest as the brunette curled his arm around her. It was as if the puzzle pieces fell into place, the warmth that was Emilia seeping into his side as he rested his cheek beside her neck. He breathed softly, his breath tickling her as she giggled. An overwhelming surge of happiness bubbled up in his chest from the sound she made, burrowing his face into her neck and letting out a sigh of contentment. His messy chocolate hair swept over his eyes as he hung onto her, the urge to be closer spiraling to life.

As she settled down against him and closed her eyes, she could feel her heart beat rise from the closeness she and Eren shared. She could tell he felt it too, his arm coming around to curl around her waist before he mouthed at her neck with his lips. She shivered, tingles crawling down her spine as the boy grazed his teeth over the pulse in her neck slowly. She felt a warm churning in her stomach, the boy behind her radiating a devious aura from the way he was testing her. Emilia had half the mind to retaliate, but due to the exhaustion seeping into her bones, she simply curled up against him and let herself be vulnerable in her own tired state. She felt Eren chuckle against her ear, the bastard nibbling on the lobe before he left it alone. She snorted, shaking her head as she laughed lightly. "You're a fucking tease, Eren Yeager."

He chuckled.

"You have _no_ idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update soon as possible! Bear with me, shit's starting to happen haha.


	8. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia and Eren confirm their feelings, and along the way they discover ways of their transformations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, a little late but I'm here. Will do my best to add more this coming week <3
> 
> \---------------------
> 
> "Come to me, in the night hours
> 
> I will wait for you.
> 
> And I can't sleep, thoughts devour
> 
> Thoughts of you consume.
> 
> I can't help but love you,
> 
> Even though I try not to.
> 
> I can't help but want you, I know that I'd die without you."

**Desire**

Sunlight flooded in through the window, gleaming across Eren Yeager's face as he inhaled in and out of sleep. His eyelashes fluttered awake, his sleepy expression casting over the sleepy redhead that rested her head on his chest from beside him. A soft smile slipped over his mouth, a loving look flooding through his eyes and swirling into desire. He ran a hand through her scarlet hair, blowing air across her face as the redhead stiffened slowly. Her eyes slowly opened, the hazel-blue swirling with gold as she tilted her head up to meet Eren. His eyes widened in surprise, their eyes meeting in a firm gaze of passion. The brunette was stupefied, never seeing this much emotion covering his redhead's face. Emilia placed a hand on Eren's cheek, his sea-green hues slipping closed as he met her soft lips in a passionate kiss. So many feelings rushed through them both, a surge of warmth moving through the redhead as she tilted her head into his and resumed kissing the brunette boy with a low moan. A rush of emotions flooded through the scarlet-haired girl as the brunette boy rolled on top of her, a hand placed on her cheek as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and groaned softly. She could feel the loving touch of the brunette she so sought after dearly, the years of closed adoration that spun inside her coming out to play in a storm that rolled through both the lovers like a hurricane. She bit his lower lip and met his tongue as she entwined it with hers, moaning into his mouth as the brunette took over with a lusting desire. The brunette male pressed into her, dragging his lips down to her neck and sinking his teeth into it. She let out a sharp groan, turning her neck for him to have full access to it and he sucked on her neck with a renewed entranced daze. He nibbled on her neck, rolling his tongue over her pulse as she shivered beneath him. Eren Yeager was firmly sinking his claim into the redhead, turning his head into her neck and pushing her face towards his. The two locked eyes, heavy lidded gazes sporting both of their faces as they panted. Eren caressed Emilia's face, pressing their foreheads against each other as she hummed appreciatively.

"Do you understand now?" Eren murmured to the scarlet-haired female. She nodded against him, breathing softly as she pressed a tanned hand on his neck and burrowed her face in his neck with a very radiant flush. Her face was so red, Eren laughed at how he had made his redhead so flustered. "You are mine, and I am yours. Understand that, Miss Enigma?" Emilia giggled, rising her head and kissing him sweetly with lidded eyes. "They're going to separate us if they find out we're involved, Yeager." She told him with a low tone to her voice, her eyes sultry and filled with lust. The Yeager boy smirked, pulling her by the collar of her shirt and grinning. "Let them try."

The two separated from each other, Emilia instantly jumping into Eren's lap and burrowing against him like a dog. Eren chuckled lightly, stroking his fingers through her hair as the redhead settled against him. Emilia seemed content, her heart drumming slowly in a way that was wholesome. She could feel Eren curled around her, the redhead resting her head against his neck with a soft hum. Eren Yeager was a rambunctious boy, full of chaotic thoughts and unknown titan abilities. Yet, he had his Emilia. The Enigma that everyone wanted to delve inside and explore, her abilities and her completely. Eren wrapped a protective arm around her, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he looked at the door with a glower.

Emilia was his, and no one would take her from him.

As boots clicked outside the door, Emilia quickly removed herself from Eren reluctantly, standing at his bedside with a shared annoyed gaze with the virisdecent eyed boy. The boy felt the pain in his chest as she was forced to go away from him due to the oncoming force bursting through the door.

Levi and Hange opened the door, their boots clicking against the ground as they eyed the two with suspicious eyes, Levi looked to Eren, his steel-blue eyes raking over his disheveled appearance with a stern look in his eyes. "Having fun in here, Yeager?" Levi asked coolly, his eyes glancing over to Emilia who's ears were reddening by the Captain's look. Eren Yeager looked to him from the bed as he sat up, meeting his stoic glare with a grin. "Sure, we love being trapped in a room just because we're different!" He snarkily commented, Hange glanced over to Levi immediately who marched forward with a glowering look. "I'd advise not being smart with me, Yeager. I'm the one that's looking after you, after all. Also the one who can kill you, if it comes to it." Levi replied coldly, Emilia breaking forward with a protective stance in front of Yeager.

Hange held up her hands in surrender, pushing Levi back as the redhead marched up to them with a curled lip and snarling: "You threaten him, you threaten me motherfucker." Emilia snapped back, Levi pushing past Hange to grip Emilia by the sleeve of her arm and pulling her behind him. "Hey, wait!" Eren shouted out, scrambling off the bed before being held back by Hange who shook her head at him crossly. "She was just protecting me! Please, please don't hurt her." Eren called out to Levi, a pleading tone in his voice as he watched helplessly as Emilia was pulled out of the room and dragged along by Levi.

Levi marched forward throughout the hall, pulling behind him an enraged redhead who was kicking and punching at his back. "Calm the hell down," Levi barked at her angrily. Emilia laughed sarcastically, shaking her head before commenting: "Calm down? You want me to calm down when you just threatened my best friend's life? Funny, you're real fucking funny." Levi bit his lip from snapping back at the redhead, the remembrance of Isabel Magnolia fresh in his head at how much Emilia Martin reminded him of her. Except, this redhead had more fire and a more enticing appearance compared to the little sister he once had.

As Levi barged past the door to his office, he slammed it behind him before pushing the redhead into the wall with a snarl, towering over her small height. "Listen here, Emilia. If you want to live in this world, you don't talk back to your superiors. You respect them, and you sure as hell don't do what you and Yeager did back there." He told her angrily, Emilia lifting her chin and curling her lip. "He has a _name,_ you know. I heard you beat the shit out of him, and for what? For people to fear you, respect you? What a fucking joke." She pushed him away from her, shaking her head in utter rage as the two stand off against one another. Levi was looking at her in a different light now, the Enigma who had a soft spot for spreading out into a secret respect for the redhead. He tipped his head, his raven undercut sweeping over his eyes as they looked at each other in a radiant anger. 

"I know his name, Emilia." He told her shortly. "What I need for him, is to respect me and follow my orders. He can't exactly do that if he's going to be a _snobby brat_." Emilia snorted, chortling her laughter as she moved forward and pointed a finger at Levi. "If you expect him to kneel down and place his hands on the floor and submit to you, then you have another thing coming. He's not a slave, and he's not a fucking dog that you can order around. He's a person—a real fucking person who has a personality and a past. He has people behind him, friends that would die for him if it took them to. He has _me_ , Levi. Your lovely _Enigma_ , that you deemed a woman with abilities. These abilities? _They're not yours to play with and experiment with._ I am me, and I am not your damn _puppet_."

The two stood off against each other, anger in their movement as Levi gripped her hair and pushed her against the wall. Emilia shook her head with a laugh, opening her palm and blowing him against the outer wall. The wood cracked against the wall from the landing, Levi's eyes wide as the woman showed a bit of her abilities. She cocked her head, grinning manically. "If you want me to _obey_ you, get me to _respect_ you first." 

Levi raised his steel-blue eyes to her hazel blue eyes, interest shining in his as the woman walked towards him. She held out a hand, tilting her head to the side with a smile. "Well, Levi. What are you instructions?" He tilted his head up, sizing her up as he placed his palm in hers. "Show me what you can do." He told her softly, the redhead nodding as she stepped away from him. "You might want to be outside for that," she told him smartly. He frowned, nodding his head before stepping to his office door and beckoning her to follow. Emilia followed with a bounce in her step, energy radiating throughout her with the intense energy that swirled inside her. She raised her head as they met Hange, a ginger girl and a blonde man-bunned male behind her in tow. "We're heading to outside the walls, Eren's coming with us. Is she ready?" Hange nodded to Emilia, who gave her a mocking thumbs up. Levi snorted, nodding to Hange and his squad before pulling Emilia behind him. She slipped her freckled hand in his, allowing herself to trust the ravenette and take her to Eren. The redhead hadn't seen beyond the walls, curiosity shining in each step she took. Levi could feel the energy in the redhead behind him, glancing over his shoulder and smirking at her jog.

"What, short-stuff? I'm excited to see beyond this pig pen, aren't you?" He glowered at her words, slapping her on the head and earning a _yowch!_ He chuckled at her glowered look, the childish pout on her face causing a soft, rare smile to slip onto his face. Emilia got an idea, smirking with glee as she launched onto Levi, swigging her feet around his shoulders and whooping with joy. Levi shot a glare up to the scarlet-haired girl, "I'm not a damn horse, you devilish child." He told her shortly.

She laughed, "I'm not that much of a child, I've been through a shit ton. I expect you have to, grouchy man." Emilia chided him, Levi rolling his eyes at the chirpy teen. His squad ahead of him looked back in shock, never seeing their captain so laid back and used to anyone. Petra Ral and Eld Gin looked back with open mouths, Hange in front of them snickering to herself. "Is this a dream?" Petra muttered aloud in her soft voice, Hange laughing manically as a gleam in her glasses appeared. "Just wait till wonder boy sees the two, he's gonna pitch a fit."

"Why?" Eld questioned Hange with a confused look on his goateed face. She snickered at him, smirking as she held her arms behind her head as she walked. "Problematic titan boy has a thing for the redhead, and I'm betting he won't be too pleased if his Captain gets close to her too."

Petra raised a thin ginger eyebrow, "Isn't it good for comrades to get along? Heitou's never been this laid back. It might be good for him to be around her, honestly." Hange shot her a look, _tsking_ with her finger. "Levi has never been close with anyone besides in his past, he might prove a mighty challenger for the Yeager boy."

Eld snorted, putting a hand over his mouth as they walked to the carriage where Eren sat sulking in the corner. Gunter's gaze was fixed on him, distrust in his dark eyes as he folded his arms against his chest. Hange shot up in the air, whooping with joy. "We're here!" She sang, Gunter shooting up in his seat and looking at his comrades in relief. Eren's head shot up, searching the people sauntering towards him with a impatient look. As his eyes landed on his Captain, he gnawed into his mouth and bit down on his mouth in an inner growl. Emilia sat above his shoulders, the short captain rolling his eyes as she shot her hands up in the air and waved at Eren. He swallowed his inner possessive anger, waving back to her with an impatient look in his eyes. Emilia chuckled above Levi, lowering her head and whispering in the ravenette's ear. "I would look out for the titan boy, he has a very sharp attachment to me. Though, you shouldn't have much trouble. You're humanity's strongest soldier after all, right?" She jested, launching down from the ravenette's shoulders and jogging towards the carriage.

Levi looked after her with a confused expression, shrugging his head as he raced after the redhead.

"Eren!" Emilia chirped, launching up onto the carriage and barreling into him with a bear hug. Eren reared back in surprise, clasping his arms around the redhead who beamed at him like he was the sun. He chuckled, allowing her to rest against him as the Levi squad looked over at them with puzzled looks on their faces. "Since when was there another redhead?" Petra Ral rambled awkwardly, Eld and Gunther snorting in reply. Oruro Bozad looked between them, frowning at the newcomers. "Well, they better respect us. We're their squad mates, after all."

Emilia and Eren exchanged looks before the redhead opened her mouth, "Sorry to say sir, but you look older than Armin's grandpa who's deceased. The rest of you though, you look a bit younger than Levi. Except Hange, she looks like she's been around the pipsqueak longer than all of you." Eren held in a laugh, Hange letting out a wild cackle along the rest, Levi and Oruro looking like they swallowed an orange. "She's funny, I like her!" Petra squeaked out, Eld and Gunther guffawing beside her in laughter. Levi scooted forward beyond Oruro, slapping a hand on Emilia's head as the redhead let out a squeak of surprise. "How old do you think I am, Martin?" Levi asked her with a raised black brow. Eren looked like he was trying not to jolt forward and gather Emilia against him protectively, but Emilia simply grinned at Levi and said: "Maybe in your mid twenties, although with that scowl on your face maybe you're thirty? You're too attractive to enter that range, though."

Levi colored considerably, Eren looked like he was about to rip his head off. Levi sat back against the carriage beside Emilia, the redhead unknown to the rage that quarreled inside Eren Yeager. Clearly, he thought his captain was competition. The Captain? He was flustered beyond belief. His squad looked on the situation and laughed their heads off, Hange looking between Emilia and Levi with a quirked brow. Clearly, there was something cooking in that relationship. Eren settled against Emilia, the redhead resting her head against his shoulder with a tiny yawn. Eren looked down at her fondly, smiling. "You're tired already?" She squinted up at him, smirking. "I used a little bit of my abilities, it drains some of my energy considerably. Maybe we could combine ours? That would be cool."

"That would be terrifying." Levi muttered under his breath, avoiding Emilia's eyes who shot to him immediately with a confused tilt of her head. 

"What the hell about her is so terrifying about this redhead anyway?" Orouo barked out with a scowl. Hange looked over to Levi, who shrank closer to the redhead and lowered his gaze to the wooden carriage as the horses pulled it ahead. Hange tilted her head, smiling slightly. "So terrifying that our Heitou here won't speak about it." She chirped happily, the squad around them looking to Levi with concerned glances.

Eren ran his hand through Emilia's hair, the girl hummed happily as she curled against him like a kitten. Levi glanced at them, frowning in thought as the two spoke amongst each other. "Are you scared?" Eren uttered, her hazel blue eyes gazing up at him with watery tears. "I'm scared of myself, yes. Am I scared of you? No. Nothing could ever make me scared of you." Eren smiled sadly at the weeping girl, curling her against him as she nestled her face in his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the squad's eyes and roaming his eyes dangerously around them. Every squad mate looked away except for Levi, the man placing a hand on the redhead and running his fingers down her hair in a notion of sympathy. Eren met Levi's eyes, the two of them sharing a moment of understanding as the carriage rode along to their destination, the bay horses nickering as they hurried along.

They would do everything to protect Emilia, no matter what it took.

As they arrived, Emilia and Eren looked over into the giant well with raising eyebrows. "Hey, short-stuff. Why's the well have no water in it?" Emilia called to Levi, the captain snorting at her question before walking up to Emilia. "Your favorite brunette is going to transform inside it." He told her curtly, her gaping at him in horror. "You're going to stick my best friend into a damn hole, and help for the best that his giant ass titan transforms inside there?"

"Yep!" Hange chirped happily, pulling up beside them with Petra and Orouo in tow. "He's going to hop inside there, bite his hand, and transform! That's what we're hoping for, really." The mad scientist explained, squad Levi looking at her with annoyed expressions. "You realize the kid has only done this shit twice?" Eld uttered with a bored tone, looking to Eren who nodded to him thankfully.

"What if we put the redhead in there with him? She'll be the extra help to urge him to get her out of the damn thing." Oruro mused from beside Petra, Petra smacking him across the head and getting a wounded  _ ouch _ from the man. "Just get him down there, and we'll see how it goes." Petra grumbled out, standing beside Emilia as the redhead looked between Levi and Eren frantically. Eren settled his hand on Emilia's head, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I'll come out alive, dummy. You know that more than anyone, right?" She snorted, smacking his hand away as she put her hands on her hips. "If you can't transform, I'll lift you out of there myself." Emilia told him determinedly, the squad looking at her in alarm. "She'll do what, now?" Gunter uttered in fear, Emilia shooting him a sharp look. "I'll get him out of the damn well, that's what I fuckin' said. Are you deaf?" She snapped out, clearly angry by the fact that they were putting Eren in a hole. Levi rushed to her side, dragging her away by her sleeve as she yelled out: "Why the fuck are you dragging me away, you short motherfucker? I'm trying to help you asshat!"

Levi shook his head, dragging the scarlet-haired female away from the well and settling her down on the ground as he stood over her with a hand on his hip. "You've got a really bad mouth, don't you?" He mused, Emilia glaring up at him with mesmerizing hazel-blue eyes. The gold in her eyes was swirling into ribbons, the blue curling around it like a tsunami as her emotions were spiraling out of control. Her fingertips were warm, sparking with the sparks that usually would summon a titan transformation. Levi looked down at her in alarm, pinning the female to the ground and whispering hurriedly in her ear as Eren jumped down into the well. She opened her mouth to shout in alarm, but the ravenette pinned her down with his inhuman strength and sat on top of her as he shook his head. She met his cool silver-blue eyes, her breaths coming sharp now as she looked into Levi's eyes. "You need to calm down, Emilia. You'll only harm yourself if you get enraged, you can't let your abilities take control of you." He told her gently, his grip loosening on her as she slowly calmed down. Her eyes searched him hurriedly, hearing Eren shout out in annoyance. 

"I cannot turn, I don't understand it!" Eren called out, his mouth bloodied and his hands bruised and producing blood from his hands. There were bite marks all over them, bruised and bloody as he looked up with a scared gaze. Hange looked down, Levi leaving Emilia's side to join her side. The redhead flooded his side anyway, looking over at Eren with wide eyes. "Eren, don't force it! You have to believe you can do it. You made a promise to humanity, remember? Instill the freedom you promised, the world beyond the walls that you seek!" Emilia shouted down at him, the viridescent eyed boy looking to her with adoration in his eyes. He opened his mouth, but before anything could happen, his wounds spiraled with sparks and lightning and the boy transformed inside the well, his fifteen foot titan sliding his arm over as Emilia hopped up onto his muscular arm, grinning at the devilish-eyed titan. Levi was shouting for her, but the redhead wouldn't listen as she raised her hand, sparks flying out of her fingers as she raised Eren's titan out of the well, setting him safely on the ground outside away from the squad members. Levi pressed his squad mates back, Hange whooping with joy as they watched their boy wonder be settled onto the ground merely by the hands of an Enigma named Emilia Martin. 

"Levi, you see that?" The mad scientist cried, looking up at Eren and Emilia with a pointed finger. Petra, Orouo, Eld, and Gunter had their swords unsheathed and pointed at the titan and girl, Levi had his hands held out in front of them in a protective manner. "Settle down, they won't do anything. Emilia did that to bring out his transformation, and she raised him up here so he could get a grip of his titan."

"They're crazy! You want that crazy girl to be around him? They're like insane partners, you have to separate them!" Orouo shouted out in horror, pointing a shaky finger at Eren's titan and Emilia who sat on his shoulder with a stern glare.

Eren's titan opened it's teethy mouth, speaking in garbled words but Emilia and the rest were able to understand. " _ If you separate her from me, she will unleash hell on all of you _ ."

Emilia barked out laughter, Eren's titan sliding his green irises to look at his lover with amusement. She stood on his shoulder, launching off of it and propelling herself down with her lightning-sparked fingers. She hovered over Levi, her eyes glowing a pretty oceanic blue as they looked at each other. He tilted his head, beckoning her with a hand as the redhead fell and landed into him. Levi wrapped an arm around her, placing a hand out in protection as his squad mates wandered closer. His steel-blue gaze settled on the redhead behind her, seeing her eyes fading from their glowing blue as she collapsed into him. The ravenette gathered his arms underneath her, holding her bridal style as he looked up at Eren who was glowering down at them. "She's still using her abilities and figuring them out, it uses a lot of energy—Eren. Please transform back, we'll get you out of there."

Eren's titan eyes roamed over Emilia's body, a growl uttering from his titan form as he stormed forward towards her. Levi scooted back, his squad mates including Hange coming around him to protect the unconscious girl. Eren glared down, tilting his head before nodding slowly. He slumped to the ground, steam emitting from his neck as the boy ripped out of the titan's neck. Hange barreled towards him, glancing up at the titan boy who ripped himself out easily and leapt down with an agile step. He marched past Hange, determination on his titan-marked face as he stormed towards Levi with a firm destination. Levi looked up at the titan boy, his grip firm around the redhead as she relaxed against the ravenette unconsciously. Eren lowered to his knees, raw emotion swirling in his sea-green eyes as he reached out with a shaky hand. "Please, let me have her." Levi looked at Eren sternly, not wanting to give the boy the redhead he held in his arms. The brunette was looking at him dangerously, pants coming out of his mouth as he crouched down low and set a firm stare on the captain. "I can help her, as she can help me." Eren Yeager told him firmly, reaching out a hand as Levi looked at him with scrutinizing eyes. Levi let out a sigh, gently rising to his feet as he slid the redhead towards the Yeager boy. Eren breathed a sigh of relief, gathering her to him and rising to his feet as he nodded to his captain.

"Let's go back, shall we?" The brunette said, clutching the unconscious scarlet-haired to himself as they walked back toward the carriage.

As Levi watched Eren Yeager take Emilia Martin to the carriage, he realized he would have a lot on his shoulders with the two lovers. With the way Emilia tugged on his heartstrings himself and had an aura of peace, Levi would definitely find himself attached to her. He would make sure the boy wonder and the enigma would be safe. They would deliver their promise to their world, Levi would make sure of it.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update soon! Hope you liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> Pandemonium will have weekly updates [unless I'm feeling generous like I included at the beginning notes...] and yes I know, this is a long chapter for a prologue/preface but I wanted it to be—it was necessary, honestly! Hope you all enjoyed it :)


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